Throne
by teroinreadsteroinwrites
Summary: "I can be very disarming." "Looks like you've been disarmed," I jabbed, not looking up at him. Benn let out a loud laugh at that. Shanks grinned. "You wound me." "Clearly, I'm not the only one."
1. Chapter 1

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

With a sigh I rested my head in my palm, staring out the windows of the general store that I worked in, tapping my pencil against my clipboard.

The waves were gentle as they rolled in, crashing on the shore, before being pulled back out to the ocean. The sun was high in the sky, which was a perfect shade of blue that was only disrupted by the occasional cloud.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. Such a shame that it was going to waste.

Word had come from the docks that a pirate ship had been spotted offshore and was currently making its way to our tiny village. The people of Aurora had tucked themselves away in their homes and shops, windows and doors shut, but not locked.

They weren't afraid after all. _Surely_ , the village guardian, Tel and his band of men would take care of it. No, the villagers weren't afraid. They were only trying to discourage any would be fiends from coming into their establishments. They were simply _too busy_ to be bothered with pirate riffraff.

I stretched, letting out a yawn as I did so, returning to my previous position, sighing once more as I turned my attention to the window.

While everyone else fretted, I couldn't have been more bored.

Once word has reached Gene, the owner of the general store and the only other person that worked there, he had pulled me from the stock room, where I had been rearranging our inventory for what felt like the millionth time and put me on the counter.

It would've been a nice change of pace, had there actually been something for me to do. There were no customers to wait on – pirate or otherwise, and I had already cleaned and straightened up the displays. Hell, I'd wiped the counter down so many times that I was fairly certain that I could see my reflection in it.

At a glance, I was rather unassuming. Sure, I was large for a woman. I stood over six feet tall and had cracked the 200-pound mark. Aside from my size, a trait that I inherited from my father, there was little to make me stand out.

I had sepia colored skin, red-toned brown hair so dark that appeared black until the sun hit it, and brown eyes. I dressed fairly simply, jeans, boots and blouses, and typically kept my hair up in a neat ponytail or bun.

Innocuous.

Up close, it was a different story. It was easier to spot the scars, faded after 20 years, but still present. The faint lines across my knuckles and raised ridges scattered across my forearms were fairly easy to ignore. The mess that wrapped around the column of my throat and the line that ran from just below my nostril down to my jawline not so much.

Very few ever got that close. With the exception of Gene and my landlady/part-time employer, Rayne, the villagers kept their distance from me. In part this was due to rumors that had been circulating ever since I arrived in Aurora. The most frightening to the general population was also the only one to be completely true. I had consumed a devil fruit.

The Oni-Oni no Mia: Model Balor was a mythical zoan that gave me the power to turn into the demon king of legend, Balor. It was a powerful fruit, so much so that even in my human form, its demonic aura could be felt by the even the most average villager.

My very presence struck fear into the hearts of most average people. Only the incredibly strong and incredibly stupid were unaffected.

As a result, most people in town avoided me. Devil fruits were rare in these parts, so just having a fruit was more than enough reason for Aurorans to keep their distance, but one of the demon demon fruits. That was a whole other level that they were unprepared and unwilling to deal with.

To spare both the village and myself, I made it a point to stay away from the general populous unless it was absolutely necessary. That was why I spent so much time rearranging the store room. My other job — working at the town tavern required more interaction, mostly because Rayne felt that the people that avoided me like the plague were ridiculous, and that their issue with me was exactly that, their issue.

This outlook was helpful to an extent, but it did nothing to make village life easier from a practical standpoint and it only made it even more annoying that the rest of the village felt the need to take their problems out on me.

Business owners didn't want me in their shops, and the second something in the village went even the slightest bit awry, I was the first one suspected, even if it was something completely out of my control.

The worst thing that I had done to any of them was lash out with sharp words. Occasionally those words had a little extra oomph behind them, but no one in the village knew enough to figure out what exactly that was. I had been nothing, but a model citizen, despite numerous attempts to provoke me into behaving otherwise. Their fear was just as unfounded as it was persistent.

I couldn't deny that while my fruit made my life more difficult, it also came in handy. My very presence was enough to deter would be thugs from coming after the store or the tavern. I had sent countless pirate crews and groups of bandits running for the hills with nothing more than a dirty look.

Other groups were a bit more persistent. Some times they needed a good ass kicking to get the message. And while I didn't need my fruit for that, I wasn't one to deny myself the pleasure of watching them all freak out as I transformed.

The bell over the door chimed.

I turned my attention to the group in the entry way, perking up, when I recognized their faces from their wanted posters. This was a far more interesting group than the usual crews that we got around these parts.

"Hello. Welcome to Gene's General Supply," I greeted in my customer service voice. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Just looking for now. Our captain and the first mate will be here soon, and they're going to want to fill out an order."

I nodded, noting that they were surprisingly respectful and that only one looked to be uncomfortable. "If you need help with anything just let me know."

I returned to my previous position, alternating between watching the men in the store and staring out the window. They weren't causing any trouble, and they didn't appear to be afraid of me, which was unusual, but not surprising given their reputation.

Honestly, it was kind of refreshing.

The door opened again, and two more men entered.

I smiled at them, welcoming them to the store and telling them where I could be found if they needed any help. They gave me their thanks, both grinning at me – one a small smirk around his cigarette, the other a wide toothy thing.

I was momentarily caught off guard by their polite behavior. Generally, people didn't speak to me. They were too afraid. They mumbled under their breath and scampered off. The also weren't so friendly. People didn't usually smile in my direction. If they were brave enough to look at all, it was a sneer.

The crew continued to walk around, eyeing different items and comparing them. After about fifteen or twenty minutes of discussion, they finally approached me, with the two late arrivals at the front of the pack.

"Excuse me, miss?"

I perked up, my attention now on the man standing on the side of the counter, none other than Benn Beckman. "Yes?"

"Would it be possible for us to place an order?" he asked.

I lifted the clip board in my hand. "I was waiting for it," I said.

"Finally, someone a step ahead of you, Benn."

My eyes shifted to Red-Haired Shanks.

"Be careful, or I'm gonna have her remove all the booze you order," Benn threatened.

"No, you won't. There'd be a riot," Red Hair said argued.

Beckman was quick to argue his captain's point. "And at the center of it would be you."

"No respect." Red Hair shook his head in exaggerated disappointment. "You know a less generous captain would have you killed for such mutinous words."

Beckman rolled his eyes. "Generous," he said in a deadpan.

I smirked. "Generous, huh? Should I be expecting a generous tip, once I get your order all put together, Captain Shanks?"

That caused Red Hair to shoot me a cheeky grin. "I see my reputation precedes me."

I shrugged. "What can I say? News travels fast and far, and you've created quite a stir. First pirate captain I've heard of with such a ridiculous hair color," I teased.

"I like her," Beckman said.

"Which doesn't bode well for me," Red Hair grumbled, his expression not faltering at all.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "I still want a tip, so I won't be too hard on you."

I took down their order the conversation flowing easily between the men and myself.

The obvious discomfort that usually plagued my social interactions was missing, allowing the conversation between us all to flow easily as I took down their order. I gave them a bit of info, while they ribbed each other and occasionally me.

"So, Miss…" Shanks trailed of, seeming to just now realize that he didn't know my name.

"Elizabeth," I supplied.

"Miss Elizabeth," he repeated. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

I didn't bother to look up and I added up their order. "I'm not cutting you a deal, so don't bother trying to sweet talk me."

"But will it get you to tell me, where we can get a drink around here?"

That caused me to pause and look up at Shanks. I chuckled.

"There's a tavern in the village, but I wouldn't get my hopes up about getting a drink. The owner's not too fond of pirates. Thinks that they're all no good bastards."

Last time that a crew had come to the tavern, Rayne had called me in to kick them out.

"I think we'll be fine. I can be very disarming," Shanks said, leaving on the counter and turning up the charm.

"Looks like you've been disarmed," I jabbed as I returned to tallying their order.

Benn let out a loud laugh at that.

"You wound me."

"Clearly, I'm not the only one."

I turned my clipboard around and, the total at the bottom circled in red. Shanks took the clipboard, eyes trailing over it, before handing it off to Benn.

Shanks pulled out a bag of berries. "Hit my pride and then my wallet."

"A job well done if I do say so myself."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So if you've read _Stillwater_ , then you know that I've been talking about this Shanks fic for a while now. It's got a different name than what I originally said, but this is it. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Also forgive me, because the first few chapters are going to feel a bit repetitive, until I really get the dynamics and everything down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

I was almost asleep. It was late in the evening, but not yet night. The blinds were open, letting the pink and orange hues from the setting sun in, illuminating the dust motes floating through the air. I had been lounging on my couch, alternating between reading and dozing off. Seeing as I was up before the sun and often times found myself working at the tavern, it wasn't uncommon for me to pass out for a few hours midday.

I was just about to step of the precipice of reality and fall into dream world, when the hard crack of a wooden cane smacking against my door jolted me awake.

I whipped my head to the door, wincing when the movement pulled at the too tight skin of my neck.

"LILABET!" Rayne's angry bellows from the other side of the door, caused me to let out a breath that I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I released the tension in my shoulders and dropped my head back against the arm of the couch. ' _Fucking pain in my ass._ '

With a groan, I pulled myself up off the couch. If I thought ignoring the woman on the otherside would get her to go away, I would, but I learned a long time ago that Rayne was nothing if not persistent. She could stand there and bang on that door until I opened it or it fell off its hinges. I didn't want to have to repair it again.

"I'm coming!" I yelled, muttering, "Christ," as I shuffled over. "If you break the door, I'm taking the repairs out of the rent," I said, pulling the door open.

Rayne stood there in her four and a half feet of fury, glaring at me from behind her thick framed glasses. "I need you to get down there and help me. Those damn pirates are going to drink me dry."

I snorted, leaning against the door frame. "I'm pretty sure you've been dry for years, Ray."

She cracked me in the shin with her cane. "Disrespectful brat. I know I've told you to respect your elders."

I let out a hiss, reaching down to rub at the spot. "You've also told me that you're 29, in which case, I'm older than you."

"Ha. Ha. Aren't you a comedian? Just get dressed and get down there. I gotta restock."

"I don't see how that's my problem," I baited

"It's your fault that they're down there in the first place!"

Hook, line and sinker.

"Red Hair walked in and said, ' _The pretty girl at that store said that this was the best place to get a drink.'_ "

"You're believing pirates now, Ray? Clearly, he's making stuff up, since there's no pretty girl at the store."

"Elizabeth!" she barked, cane cracking me in the shin again.

"Fine!" I relented, knowing that if I tried to poke the bear anymore that she wouldn't aim for my shin next time. "I'll be down in five."

I slammed the door in her face, grumbling to myself as I proceeded to put my boots back on and tied my hair up.

I didn't think that Rayne had a devil fruit. There was no real reason for me to believe that she had one. But I also couldn't come up with any logical non-devil fruit explanation for her ability to swing a cane like that.

Grabbing my keys and locking the door behind me, I stepped onto the landing and descended the stairs.

My boots made a crunching sound, when I hit the gravel behind the tavern. I slipped through the open backdoor and down the dark narrow hallway. I made a stop in the storeroom, rolling up my sleeves and tying on an apron.

I walked out to the front, quickly surveying the bar. The Red-Haired crew was out in full force it looked like. They were scattered about, drinking, laughing, singing, just generally having a grand old time.

I walked up behind Rayne, reaching over her to grab the rag out of her hand. "Get out of here. I got this."

"Don't go tearing the place down," Rayne instructed, shucking her apron and heading to the back.

"Yeah yeah!" I hollered after her. "I'd set it on fire just to spite you, if I didn't live here!"

"Well look who it is," Shanks said from his spot on the bar.

"Captain," I greeted. I turned to his first mate. "Hello, Benn."

"You know, I'm getting the feeling that you're mocking me," Shanks said.

"Only a little," I answered, wiping down the counter. "Enough to make things fun, but not so much that I actually insult my favorite customer."

Shanks perked up at that. "Favorite, huh?"

"If you left me the same kind of tip you left her, you'd be my favorite too," Yasopp said, coming up behind Shanks and clapping his shoulder.

"I was talking about Benn. You know it's rude to insult a man's captain."

Benn smirked, and Yasopp laughed out loud. Shanks' face was a perfect caricature of offense.

"Now, what can I get you guys to drink?"

Tavern work wasn't hard, though it could be exhausting. I made sure that everyone's glasses were full and that they were all having a good time. Jolly pirates were usually less of a problem. It was the angry ones that tried to wreck shit and get into fights.

The Red-Haired crew were some of the best patrons that I had ever waited on. None of them were pushy or rude, at least to me (to each other most definitely). They treated me kindly, used what little manners they had and made it a point to try to include me in their conversations.

A lot of people would've been uncomfortable in this situation. A tavern full of pirates, a crew that had already made a name for themselves in the Grand Line at that, wasn't exactly the full house most business owners wanted. However, I couldn't have been more at ease.

They were so loud that you could barely here yourself think, but that worked in my favor. My thoughts weren't always the most pleasant, so the distraction was nice.

The bell above the door chimed. I pulled my attention from the story that Yasopp was telling me and glanced towards the door.

The easy smile that I had been wearing for most of the evening fell, when I set my sights on the new arrivals.

Tel, George and Hugh were standing in the doorway, surveying the tavern.

The three of them along with several other men in the village were the "guardians" (a totally self-appointed title) of Aurora Village. They made it a point to take care of any "unsavory" characters that came through.

I get what they were trying to do, truly. Aurora was tiny, and the nearest marine base was on the next island over in the Kingdom of Noct. It took two days for any one of us to get there, though I was sure if you had a proper ship you could cut that time in half at least. We were basically on our own. Someone had to at least try to protect he village, it just so happened the guys that did try were a bunch of annoying pricks.

It would be one thing if they were annoying and dumb, but they were both annoying and intelligent. They were cerebral both in their efforts, both in how they took out these would be threats and how they spun the story afterwards.

They were politicians, who got their power from public approval. How they were perceived was just important to them as getting rid of whatever crew had blown through.

They maintained their image by provoking their target, until they lashed out. At that point, once they had proven that the crew was a threat, Tel and his goons had free reign to do what they wanted. After all they weren't doing anything wrong. They were simply reacting to the wild and unhinged bandits intown.

If you push someone enough, they will snap. That's true of anyone.

I glanced from Tel to Shanks. ' _Fuck._ '

I stood up straight, leveling Tel and the others with a stern look. "Don't you even think about it," I warned him. "You won't win this fight, and even if by some kind of divine intervention, you did, you most certainly wouldn't survive the hag's wrath, when she gets back and sees that you've made a mess."

"Shut up, demon bastard."

I rolled my eyes. "Quit posturing. You either sit down, order and behave or you leave."

I picked up the pitcher that I had emptied into Yasopp's mug and went to refill it.

As much as I hated to admit it, and believe me, I hated giving Tel any type of credit, Tel and his goons were pretty good at what they did. They were like wolves, using their numbers and teamwork to their advantage.

Tel's game was simple, but effective.

It didn't work though if you didn't react to his initial provocation, which was why I had managed to live in Aurora as long as I had without Tel ever attacking me, despite having been on his list, since the first day I showed up.

Not that they weren't annoying, but their bullshit was nothing compared to what I had been through before.

Tel walked in and sat at the bar, putting his feet up. His goons crowded around him. "Get me a drink, Demon, and something for the boys here too."

"Let's get somethings straight here, _boy_. One, get your feet off the bar. This is not your damn house." I walked over and waved my hand, until he took his feet off the bar. "Two, I know you're planning something. Whatever it is, you are _not_ doing it in here."

I knew that Shanks and his crew could easily handle Tel. I would've let them too, if we were anywhere else, but we were at the tavern. I didn't want to end up homeless, because they damaged or destroyed it. Or dead. Despite all odds, I had managed to stay alive. I didn't want Rayne to murder me.

"Three," I let my haki slip into my words, which in its small dose was enough to make Tel and his men pale and break into cold sweats, something that they didn't understand at all. "My name is not demon. It is Elizabeth."

Tel was trying to act tough still, as if he were unaffected by my mix of demonic aura and haki, but I knew better, so did the Red-Haired Pirates, if the amused looks on their faces were anything to go by.

I eased up. "I was gonna get you a beer, but you look like I need something stronger," I said, my tone patronizing.

"You are one scary lady, when you want to be," Shanks said, letting out a low whistle.

"When I want to be?" I questioned, my brows raised in surprised. "I'm scary, when I don't want to be. I know you sensed it the second you walked into the store."

"I did," he admitted, "But I was too distracted to really care."

"Distracted?" I asked incredulously.

Shanks' eye glanced down at my cleavage and then back up to my face.

"You'd be amazed by how often that happens," Benn deadpanned.

"Your beauty outweighs the whole, something evil lurks beneath the surface vibe you give off."

Tel and I scoffed at the same time, causing us to turn to glare at each other. I stuck my tongue out at him, beforeturning my attention back to the men in front of me.

"Charming," Shanks, teased.

"I save my charm for people, who leave decent tips. Why do you think I lay it on so thick for you?" I joked.

"You're about as charming as a badger," Tel shot.

"That's rich coming from you," Rayne said, reappearing from the back

"You're one to talk."

"Yeah. Yeah. He break anything?" she asked, gesturing to Tel.

I shook my head.

"Good. Liz, probably saved you boys a lot of trouble."

"I'm starting to think she is trouble," Shanks ribbed.

"She is," Rayne said at the same time I said, "I am."

"She gets that from her father," Rayne explained. "And her brothers. The whole lot is a pain in the-"

"They get it," I cut her off.

"Brat." She cracked me with that damn cane again, causing me to curse. "Bring in my barrels for me."

"Beats the shit out of me, and then fucking orders me around."

Shanks grinned.

"I know. _Charming._ "

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hello Hello Don't get used to me updating this fast, because there's no way that I can keep it up.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **Ravenclaw Slytherin:** Nice beginning chapter! Update soon!

 _Thank you! I have the first like four chapters worked out, so those should be out quickly, but unfortunately I'm sporadic at best, but I hope tat you can stick with it._

 **Guest:** Your writing is great and I'm already loving the OC! Maybe a longer chapter next time but then again I like having more material to read so that could be me :) looking forward to the next chapter!

 _Thank you! Thank you! Elizabeth was initially supposed to be a throwaway OC for a one shot, but I liked her too much, so here we are. I typically like longer chapters too, but chapters for this fic are probably going to be pretty short to start, just because their interactions are fairly short. They'll probably get longer though as this goes on._

 **Guest:** This is pretty funny. Love the sarcasm. I can see them getting into snark battles to see who can out sass the other.

 _I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I can't wait until they get to have longer conversations, and I can really expand upon the dynamic._

 **Shion:** Seems interesting

 _Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm hoping it will be. Lol._


	3. Chapter 3

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

"Damn it," I muttered, picking up the envelop that I had dropped. I quickly dusted it off and lifted it, angling it towards the light coming from the lantern outside of Clara's bakery.

Once I confirmed that her name was on the front of the envelop, I double checked the notes inside. I slid it under the door and picked up the bag containing the loaf of bread and dozen rolls that I had ordered, tucking it in my tote.

I had been making my morning rounds picking up my goods from the various shops in the village, leaving orders at others.

I had one last stop to make, before I could head back home. I was just in time too. For the most part, the village was still asleep, but they would rise shortly, but I would be back in my apartment by then, eating breakfast, before heading to the store.

I enjoyed my mornings. It was a period of transition, but unlike most changes this one was peaceful. The birds woke and began to sing, the air was crisp having yet to lose the evening chill, and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, chasing out the blue black of night with a mix of periwinkle, pink, orange and yellow hues.

I slowed my walk allowing myself to take a deep breath and enjoy it. The world we lived in was dangerous, and making it from day to day was hard, even in a peaceful village like Aurora. Moments like these were rare.

"Beautiful."

I jumped, startled by the voice. I quickly whipped my head around to look at its owner.

Shanks chuckled. He was sitting on the swing on the porch of Mrs. Lane's inn, looking at the sky as well.

The inn was similar to many of the other businesses in the village in that it was the only one. It was located right at the bend in the main road, where a majority of the shops and other businesses were.

Mrs. Lane resided on the very top floor in a room with a large bay window. Whenever there was commotion in town, you could see her peeking through the curtains, trying to scope out what was going on.

"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth." He spoke lowly not to disturb those still sleeping. His voice was gravely, the result of his somnolence, undoubtedly.

"Captain," I returned his greeting, having calmed down. "Early morning or late night?"

"A little bit of both," he answered. "Didn't sleep all too well, so I woke up early."

"I can't say that passing out drunk produces the most restful sleep," I said, a wry smile on my face.

"Depends on where you pass out."

"Fair enough," I conceded.

"What about you?" he asked. "Getting the shopping done awfully early," he said, eying my bag.

"The life of a village pariah," I answered, using a miserable tone, exaggerated to the nth degree. Returning to my normal speech pattern, I continued, "It's far less disruptive for me to have them leave my things out for me to pick up in the morning than it is for me to come into their shops. People don't run or anything, but it completely kills the atmosphere."

"Hm. People here are backwards. I find it hard to believe that a fetching, charismatic young thing like you could ever kill the room unintentionally."

I snorted in disbelief. "Are you always this complimentary in the mornings?" I asked.

"No," he answered honestly. "Usually, I don't wake up until morning has passed."

I shook my head, smiling in amusement. "I've seen how you drink. I'm surprised you can wake up at all."

"It'll take more than a little liquor to kill me."

"I don't think you know the meaning of _a little_ , Captain."

"Shanks," he offered, catching me off guard for the second time.

I rebounded quicker this time. "Red Hair," I shot back.

"Captain it is," he relented.

I smirked victoriously, adjusting my bag and turning to continue down the street. I still had to get to Mr. McNaulty's farm to pick up my milk and eggs. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Captain."

"You too, Miss Elizabeth."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I don't like this one. It's short, and it feels kind of out of place, but I feel like we needed a bit more build between these two before we go forward. I had the next chapter written, but I felt like there wasn't enough development to get to that point yet. Plus I made one kind of big change, and threw off everything I had, so I've had to rework it, but it's still going, and if any of you are cross overs from _Stillwater_ , I promise I'm going to update that soon. I haven't forgotten. I just haven't had time to sit down and watch One Piece to write the next chapter.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **Ash:** I am loving this story sooo much! The interactions and between your characters are so well written and flow incredibly well. Can't wait for the next chapter.

 _I'm glad your enjoying it! Thanks for taking the time to review!_

 **Yuki Suou:** Give me a character with sass and enough backbone to back it up and I'll read it non-stop. great beginning.

 _Liza's got the strength to back it up. That's for sure. Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"You too?" I asked, looking down at Rayne, who had been fiercely pounding on my door.

"Get. Rid. Of. Them," she said, stepping aside, so that I could head down first.

I cracked my knuckles and rolled my shoulders. "My pleasure."

Another pirate crew had shown up in the morning. It was a decent sized crew on a fairly sturdy looking ship. They were from the West but were making a stop to stock up on supplies, before heading into the Grand Line.

Unlike the Red-Haired Pirates, these guys were more than a bit rude. They'd barely docked, when they began threatening the fishermen there. Once they had headed into the village, they'd threatened Mrs. Fried and harassed her daughters, stolen from most of the shops and craftsmen around and placed orders for goods that everyone knew they weren't going to pay for, but were too intimidated not to fulfill, even if they were all unwilling to admit it.

Tel was undoubtedly planning something, but he'd yet to do or say anything. They'd shown up at the store at three, and Gene had called me to the floor to deal with them. There were only three of them, but that was more than enough. They were too arrogant to listen to the part of their brain that had screamed at them to get the hell away from me.

Instead, they sauntered up to the counter and tried to intimidate me.

Yeah fucking right. It took a lot more than some punks from the West Blue to make me nervous. A broken nose, a handful of missing teeth, a broken orbital bone and one knife wound later they got the message.

I entered through the back of the tavern, making my way to the bar. Shanks and Benn were at their usual seats, as were most of the Red-Haired pirates, who all turned to look at me.

"Good evening Miss Elizabeth," Shanks said, lips spreading into a smile.

"Captain," I returned his greeting, glaring at the group at the large round table in the corner of the tavern.

There were seventeen total, some sitting, others standing around. They were loud, boasting about their earlier exploits. It made my blood boil.

By no means was I under the illusion that pirates were good law-abiding citizens. They lied, they stole, they tricked, and they cheated.

Pirates were violent criminals. I couldn't be angry at them for that, when my brothers did much of the same. However, most of my brothers weren't malicious, at least not without reason.

Grumpy? Short tempered? Sure. They were quick to fight, and if the situation called for it they wouldn't hesitate to kill. But they didn't run around threatening people just because they could. This wasn't some type of power trip for them.

Regardless of how the people of Aurora treated me, they were my neighbors. This was my home. And these nobody pirates were violating it.

"So, you're her muscle?" he asked, grin widening.

"Who else was it going to be?" I asked. "Tel?"

He chuckled. "Fair enough. Don't let me hold you."

I walked out from behind the bar over to the table.

"What the hell? I told the hag, I wanted more beer, not some beastly looking bitch," the guy in the center of the group sneered. As he spoke, he was polishing his dagger, making sure to twirl it around, showing off the now shiny blade. Every few rotations, the tip of the blade would be pointed in my direction.

"The hag wants you to leave, and yet you're still here," I started. "It appears that we don't always get what we want."

"You've got a lot of nerve, little girl. Do you know, who I am?"

"Captain, she's the one that gave the guys a hard time earlier," one whispered to his captain.

"No, and to be completely honest, I don't give a shit. Either you leave on your own or I throw- "

I stopped, . The blade was less than an inch away from my face. The captain stood across the table looking smug. "I'm sorry. Do you want to repeat that?" he asked.

I was unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I quickly hakied up my hand and snatched the dagger by the blade. My skin switch from black to flesh tone as I twirled it in my hand, fingers much quicker and defter. Unlike his clunky movements, my motions were smooth and precise, practiced. I leaned over the table and twirled it up to his neck.

I cleared my throat. "Now, as I was saying, either you leave, or I throw your asses out."

The idiot was stupid enough to laugh. I had just used haki, which I knew damn well he had never seen before. Sure, his crew might've been pretty bad ass for the West Blue, but they were by no means Grand Line material, and that was the only place that they would probably ever see it.

"I don't like those options."

"Too bad."

He kept talking like I hadn't spoken. "How about a third one, boys?"

Two of the other morons pulled their guns and aimed them at me.

"Now, here's how it's gonna go. You're gonna put the knife down and get us more drinks or else we're gonna paint the walls with your brains," he said.

"Miss Elizabeth?" Shanks called.

I galnced over at him. "Yes, Captain?"

"Why don't you give us a show?"

"Sure," I agreed, "But it's gonna cost you extra."

"For the love of God, quit flirting and get rid of them already!" Rayne yelled, pulling the front doors open.

I hakied up both arms and grabbed the guns, crushing the barrels with my hands. I yanked the mangled weapons and used the butt ends to take the two out, before taking the dagger and lodging it into the shoulder of another one.

The Red-Haired crew cheered me on, counting as I threw the first three outside on to the street.

"Leave," I said again.

The captain looked livid.

"Kill her!" he ordered.

"Why do pirates always have to be so fucking difficult?"

The remaining thirteen charged at me all at once, a better strategy than they had previously employed. Thirteen on one were pretty shitty odds. I didn't really count each of them men as one though. They were more like a half, maybe a quarter. Regardless, even thought it wasn't a fair fight, the odds were still in my favor.

I was only worried about keeping the damage to a minimum, so that I didn't die at that hands of the bat and her cane.

"Oh please like you could kill me."

Since Shanks and the others were there all of Rayne's Aurorean regulars had steered clear of the tavern, which meant that I could cut loose a little.

I transformed into my hybrid form. My skin not covered in armament haki turned a deep red, pulling tighter over the muscles expanding beneath it. My eyes turned yellow, pupils narrowing to vertical slits. My dark hair turned silver and two small horns grew out of my head.

"What- What the- the hell are you?" one asked, struggling to breathe, from the intense aura I exuded.

"I'm a full-time clerk. Part-time bartender." Then my voice, already deepened from being in my hybrid form, dropped lower. "Until you piss me off. Then I'm a demon."

"I SAID KILL HER!" the captain yelled.

In this form, I was stronger and more durable, but I was limited to what I could accomplish physically and with haki. I couldn't harness Balor's full strength, since my hybrid form lacked the eye of Balor, but the partial size and muscle increase was more than enough to deal with these idiots.

"FOURTEEN!" Yasopp cheered, as I hurled another one out the open door.

The final two looked at their captain.

"Get her!" he repeated, the command sounding more like a plea at this point.

"Cap- "

"That's an order!"

The two remaining crew members charged, but they had defeated themselves, before I even laid a finger on them. I swatted them out the door, before setting my sights on the captain.

There's something special about fear. It can slice through the layers of bravado or calm surrounding it, exposing itself to everyone around them. If you're not strong enough to power on through your fear, it can leave you vulnerable. It can make you react without thought. It can make you think so much that you can't react at all. Both states can be easily taken advantage of by your opponent.

There was a moment, where the captain was frozen, clearly running through every possible scenario in his head, unable to comprehend what had happened and more importantly what was next. I took a moment and waited, before finally he bolted for the door

Because I was only in my hybrid form, I didn't grow so large that I lost my speed and agility.

I grabbed him the second he reached the threshold and threw him into the trunk of one of the large trees that lined the property of the tavern. Before he could slump down, I grabbed him by the throat, holding him above the ground.

A few of the Red-Haired Crew ran out to watch.

I transformed into my full Balor form. The small horns grew out, curling. My muscles expanded further, and I grew even taller. I was almost as large as my father. Who knew? Maybe I was bigger than him. It had been so long since I'd last seen him, I had no idea what he really looked like anymore.

In all of the memories I had staring up at him was like trying to stare up at the sky. It was as if he pierced the clouds with his very presence like a mountain.

When my brother pointed out to me that my Balor form made me nearly as tall as my father, it was a startling reminder that he was not a mountain, but a man. The realization that we were in any way comparable had shocked me.

My size however was not the most striking thing about my full Balor transformation. It was the eye centered in the middle of my forehead. It was closed, the heavy lid hiding it away from the world.

Ever so slightly, I cracked it open.

The captain under my thumb began to lose it. His face began to turn read and sweat seeped from his pores. He let out a terrified shriek.

"You send your men out like pawns and then run when you're the last one left. Do you even realize how pathetic that is?"

"MAKE IT STOP!" he cried. "PLEASE! PLEASE! LET ME GO! I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

I leaned right in his face. "You're going to leave. You're going to order your men to leave. And you're never ever going to come back. Am I understood?"

He whimpered.

"Yes or no?"

"Yes! Yes! I understand!"

I closed the eye and returned to my human form, letting the jack ass fall to the ground.

"Get out of here," I spat.

He struggled to get to his feet, but managed to scramble up yelling at his men to head back to the ship, that they were setting sail.

I watched as they followed his lead, running towards the docks. Once they were out of sight, I entered the tavern to raucous cheers from the Red-Haired crew.

"Atta girl, Liz!"

"You kicked ass!"

"Lizzy! Lizzy! Lizzy!"

I ducked my head, embarrassed at the attention and went straight to the bar, where I was instantly cracked over the head by Rayne's cane.

"Ow! God damn it!" I brought my hand up to the sore spot.

"Stupid girl," she said. "Sit down."

I shot her a dirty look but did as she said. "I'm fine, you bitter old bitch."

"That's what you said last time you opened up that damn eye of yours. Then you passed out walking up the stairs."

"Last time was different."

"Not that different."

"That was like a third of the way opened, and I took down an entire galleon. I barely even peaked this time," I argued.

"So that was you devil fruit, huh?" Yasopp asked, coming up beside me, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Pretty intense."

"I gotta say that was quite some show," Shanks said, from down the bar.

"Glad you enjoyed it, I prefer gold coins, but if you have notes, I'll take them."

"And then you can cover their tab, since you forgot to make them pay first," Rayne said.

I groaned. There was always something with her. "Fuck you. _Get them out of here. You're taking too long. Just get rid of them. Where's my money? Nag nag nag nag nag!_ " I mocked.

She brought her cane down on my head again, causing me to let out another pained whine.

I narrowed my eyes at her as I got up and walked to the back. I headed to the basement and grabbed the chest that I had stashed there earlier.

I relocked the door and hoisted the trunk up onto my shoulder. I walked back to the bar and dropped it on the counter. "Here, you ungrateful hag," I said. "They're paid for."

"Holy shit," Yasopp said, eyeing the chest. "Where'd you get that?"

"I stole it, and if they're even half as freaked out as they should be, then they'll be miles and miles away, before they even realize it's gone."

"I knew there was a reason I keep you around," Rayne said, setting a glass of water down in front of me and turning her attention to the gold on the counter.

"Pretty bold move bringing that out in front of a bunch of pirates," Shanks teased.

"Her money not mine," I said at the same time Rayne threatened him.

"She will boil you from the inside out and set your ship ablaze."

"Wait was that what you did to him, made his blood boil?" Lucky asked.

"No. Not even close. Though I could've." I took a sip of water. "Legend says that the eye of Balor brought blight, death and destruction, so they kept it covered with seven cloaks. As they took them off, plants were blighted, wood began to heat up, blood began to boil, weakening the heart and driving men mad, and then everything would burst into flames."

"But she's not Balor. She's Elizabeth, and opening that eye takes a toll on her, so don't go making me use her."

I rolled my eyes but smiled none the less. Despite how much she tried to act otherwise, I knew the bat cared about me and was just concerned.

"Wouldn't think of it," Shanks said, grinning at Rayne. He turned his attention to me. "Miss Elizabeth, you're the hero tonight. How about you let me buy you a drink?" he asked. "As a token of my appreciation."

"Why Captain, are you trying to get me drunk?" I asked, acting scandalized.

"Are you that much of a light weight?" he fired back.

"Not even close, which is too bad for you. If I was drunk, I might actually be impressed by your ridiculous stories."

"Who said I'm trying to impress you?" he challenged. "I've been trying to get Ms. Rayne to pay attention to me, since we've landed on this island."

"You're gonna have to do a lot more than out run the marines to impress me," she said.

He chuckled. "Can't blame a man for trying."

"No," she agreed. "But I can a boy."

"Now, I see, where she gets it from," Shanks said. "But it's not about my 'ridiculous' stories," he continued. "It's about Miss Elizabeth's ridiculous stories, her hero's journey."

"Who says my stories are ridiculous?" I asked. "I'm just a clerk at a general store on a small island in the West Blue."

"How'd a simple clerk get that good at using conquerors haki?" Benn asked in his usual monotone, brows raised ever so slightly.

I sighed. "It's not a hero's journey. I'm not some heroine that's out here saving the world. It's a tale of survival, and it's not pleasant, so I'm going to go and change first, and I want whiskey."

* * *

Author's Note:

This was much better in my head, but I've felt bad about not getting it out sooner, so here it is. I may go back and retool it, before I post five. We'll see. Also if you read _Stillwater_ please be patient I haven't had time to watch Onepiece to work on it.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **Luna Lovegood 777** : Great so far. Keep up the good work and update soon!

 _Glad you're enjoying it!. Thanks for reading and commenting!_

 **arapyanime:** I like this is funny is she going to join shanks crew?

 _I'm glad you find my shitty sense of humor enjoyable, and as for whether or not she's going to join Shanks' crew, who knows? Everyone who has ever read one of my stories probably._

 **Marskat2:** Omg i love cant wait until u update!

 _I'm happy that you like it!_

 **Yuki Suou:** length doesn't matter as long as you update! At least that's what I think.

 _I'm trying. I've always been big on chapter length, mostly because I like to lose myself in stories for hours and hours._


	5. Chapter 5

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

I returned to the tavern, having swapped out my usual blouse, jeans and boots for a soft baby blue tunic that was so worn that it hung to my knees like a dress, a pair of shorts and sandals. My hair was out of its usual bun and hung freely.

Shanks, Yasopp, Benn and Lucky Roo had moved to the table that the crew of morons and their coward of a captain had previously occupied. There was a spot open between Shanks and Benn, a tumbler full of whiskey and a plate of food sitting there.

I slipped into the open seat, picking up the tumbler and taking a sip. "Alright boys, what do you want to know?"

"You better eat that." Rayne gave me a pointed look from behind the bar as she dried a glass.

I took a huge bite, making a massive show of it. "Happy?" I asked, mouth full.

Rayne's face scrunched up in disgust. "Finish it, you brat."

"The two of you are quite the set of characters," Shanks chirped.

"The same can be said about you and your crew, Captain."

"True, but we're pirates. It comes with the territory. What's your excuse?"

I didn't skip a beat. "Daughter of a pirate. It's in my genes."

The boys held off on their questions for a short while, opting instead to rib each other as usual. Shanks was at the center of it, but so was I.

I wasn't used to being an active participant in the conversation, to actively engaging with a group of people.

Sitting with these men was chaos, but the most fun kind. We laughed. We drank. They bickered. Embarrassing stories came to light as well as fond memories of days gone by.

It was nice to be included. Sure, I had my brothers, Rayne and Gene, but aside from that I lived a fairly solitary life. And even then, my interactions with them were different. They were almost familial. Well in the case of Gene and Rayne that is.

While by no means did I think of either of them as my parents, there was no denying that they had helped fill that roll for as long as I had been in the village.

These clowns were like… friends. It felt alien, using that word, when referring to my own relationships.

I knew that it wouldn't be long before they left. For one, they were pirates. Secondly, I had to get them off the island, before my brother showed up.

I chose not to dwell on that though. I didn't really have time to. Before I could really focus on one train of thought, I was distracted by another story or joke.

"It's not funny!" Lucky cried, while the rest of us laughed at his expense. "That was damn good turkey, and it's a shame it had to go to waste like that."

"You know, Rayne makes an amazing turducken." I glanced at the bar. Sure enough, Rayne was glaring at me, though it was obvious that there was no real malice there.

"Don't go telling them shit like that. I'm not making a turducken."

"She also makes the _best_ berry pie."

"Keep talking and I will hit you so hard that not even your devil fruit will help you."

I grinned at her, eyes swimming with mischief.

"So Liz?" Benn started. "How'd you master conqueror's haki?" Benn causally took a drag of his cigarette.

"Straight to the point," I chuckled. "Some of my brothers trained me."

"Your brothers come through here a lot?"

I shrugged. "The frequency of their visits has decreased as I've gotten older. It used to be that there was always one here. One would show up and would only leave when another arrived. I have a lot of brothers, so they weren't necessarily here for long. I'm not very close to many of them. Most of them come, stay at the inn and leave, when they're time is up. Others stay with me, bring me gifts, train me to use haki, strengthen my devil fruit abilities and to fight. It just depends on who comes through. Now, they check in about once a month. They stay for a week or two top, and then they're off. Another one shows up later."

"Have you lived here your whole life?" Yasopp asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. I was born on the Grand Line."

"Really, which island?"

I shrugged. "Its original name was lost to time, but people refer to it as the Floating Island."

That piqued Shanks' interest. "The Floating Island? Like a sky island?"

"A sky island? Goodness no. It doesn't float over the ocean or anything, just on it. It isn't really an island, but a floating village. My people were fisherman, who spent more time on the sea than on the land they inhabited.

"When an earthquake caused the island to become unstable hundreds of years ago, they knew they had to leave, but they had nowhere to go. There wasn't enough time to go scouting for a new home, so everyone boarded the fishing boats and the few big ships they had. They tethered them together with ropes and made makeshift bridges, so that everyone could move about freely.

"They couldn't steer like that, so they drifted, hoping to land somewhere new. It was hard in the beginning. A lot of them died, but eventually they adapted, distilling water, fishing like they always had and sending groups off to trade the fish they caught. As time progressed, they became self-sufficient. A group of ships tied together became a prosperous 'island.'"

"Really?"

I nodded.

It had been over twenty years since I had been there last, but I could picture it clearly. The people bustling about, crossing bridge after bridge to get to work, school, the gardens and shops. The dark color of wood contrasting against the vibrant greens of the crops on the garden decks, the blue of the sea, when you looked on either side of the bridges.

It wasn't the easiest life to live with the ever changing weather and constant threat of pirates, but it was a happy place. The people were content with their lives. Everyone had a home, food, water and in the end each other.

"That's insane," Luck said. "I've never heard of a village floating on the sea."

"But you've heard of a sky island?" I questioned.

"Touché."

"Impressive word- "

"I've got a fairly extensive vocabulary for a pirate, I know," he boasted.

"I mean, I've met some extremely intelligent pirates. I was more surprised by the fact that _you_ said it."

"I think I like it better, when you pick on the captain," he said, ego deflated.

"Don't worry. He'll still get his," I assured, smirking at the man beside me.

"You're too cruel, Miss Elizabeth," Shanks said, his signature grin on his face.

"Well, I am a demon."

"Did your dad leave there to become a pirate?" Yasopp interjected, not wanting us to get too far off this topic it seemed.

I shook my head. "No. He was a pirate way before he stumbled upon my home. A storm blew my island and his ship in each other's paths. There was a collision. The crew and the people were stuck together for a while. He and my mother spent a lot of time together, fell into something. She never called it love, and I've never talked to him about it.

"He left for the sea, but he visited. I knew, who he was. He was in my life growing up, though not often. It was too dangerous for him to stay."

"How'd you end up here?"

"Yeah, why'd you leave?"

I knocked back the entirety of my drink.

Pain never truly leaves you. The injuries I suffered had long since healed, but the scars remained, dark reminders of what I had been through. The same could be said about the mind.

"I didn't _leave_. I was _taken_ ," I corrected. "My father has a lot of enemies. One of them caught wind of my existence. They showed up and tried to kindnap my mother and me. My mother fought like hell. She was "too much trouble," so they put a gun up to her head and pulled the trigger. Then, they took me and sold me off as a slave."

They all went quiet. Their usually relaxed and smiling faces were solemn, angry. It was so uncharacteristic from the crew that I had come to know.

"I was purchased by a noble family, not world nobles thankfully, but the nobles of some island that I don't care enough to remember the name of. I was a house slave. I cooked. I cleaned. I sewed. When the occasion called for it, I was paraded out. The daughter of one of the most powerful pirates on the sea, reduced to a simple slave."

"Disgusting. Sure, we're pirates, and we've done some horrible things, but that…" Yasopp shook his head.

"How'd you get away?" Luck asked.

"Don't ever feed a devil fruit to a captive, especially when you don't know what it does. They got ahold of the oni oni no mi: model balor. I don't know how. They probably just bought it outright. They chained me up and force fed it to me. If the power was useful, then they'd kill me. The fruit would cycle back, and they would either eat it themselves, sell it, feed it to their goons or whatever.

"But becoming Balor makes me bigger and stronger. The chains weren't made of anything special. After all, they had to see what the fruit did. I transformed. The chains broke, and so did I."

"You know Tel calls me a monster all the time, because of my devil fruit, but my devil fruit didn't make me a monster. I know that. Those nobles. They made me a monster."

I thought back to that day. The blood, the flames, the smoke, the smell of burning flesh in the air, the feeling of bones crunching under my fist, the satisfaction of it all.

People preach that revenge doesn't make you feel any better. That's a crock of shit. Revenge feels fucking fantastic. That's the problem with it. It's like a drug. It drives you to do things that you wouldn't do, things that under any other circumstance your heart would be steadfast against.

"My father came to my rescue. He found the island, a nobles' land barren of anything save for ash and bodies burned beyond recognition."

"Then the stupid idiot brought her here and made her my problem." Rayne sat another tumbler in front of me. "I never wanted kids, so I never had any. Then Newgate, drops off his spawn with some money and says take care of her, and suddenly, I've got a charge."

"I didn't realize, when I signed the lease, that I was actually signing adoption papers," I said. "Were you just my foster mother for the first four years?"

"Brat."

"Hag."

"Newgate?" Shanks asked.

"Like Edward Newgate?" Benn followed up.

I gave Rayne a look. "Way to go, hag. _"_

"Don't give me that look. That stupid boy is far too wrapped up in you to kill you now."

I rolled my eyes at her.

"I hope your eyes get stuck like that one day."

I ignored her. "I guess I should finally introduce myself properly. I'm Elizabeth Edward." I lifted my tunic, revealing the tattoo on my thigh. My father's jolly roger stood out against the color of my skin.

I had gotten it during one of my escape attempts, when I was pissed off that I was stuck on this island and made every attempt I could to leave. Marco had been the one to drag me back that time. He was pissed to say the least. I had been thrown on this island to put distance between myself and my father, and here I was with his jolly roger permanently inked into my skin.

I had argued that the constant stream of crew members was equally as conspicuous, but that argument had been ignored in favor of a long and annoyed lecture-yoi.

I was sure that the Old Man knew, but none of my brothers had ever told me of his reaction.

Yasopp, Lucky, and Shanks all wore equally amusing masks of shock, mouths open, eyes wide.

Benn smirked, taking a drag of his cigarette. "So those brothers, his crew, his sons?" he asked.

I nodded once more. "I have quite the extended family."

"Of course, she's Whitebeard's daughter," Shanks muttered under his breath.

I chuckled at Shanks. "And you're that annoying little red-haired bastard that sailed with Roger."

"Have you ever tried to go with them?" Yasopp asked.

"There was a lot of healing that I had to do. Marco took care of the physical wounds, but Rayne and Gene here helped me work through the mental ones. Once, I started feeling more like my old self, I ran away all the time. You can't get very far, when you can't swim. Plus, he has an entire fleet to hunt me down and drag me back if need be."

"It's been needed."

I lifted my hand up and flipped Rayne off.

"I got pretty far a couple of times though. Thought I might get out of here. This one time, someone had to come and get me because… "

And with that I launched into another story about my antics with my brothers. It helped to bring the mood back up after all the dark shit. We fell back into our previous pattern. This time I had names to use in my stories.

We laughed and drank until the wee hours of the morning, when Rayne finally gave us the boot.

"Thanks for that," I said, as I slipped behind the counter, intending to leave out the back. "That was the most fun I've had in a while."

"Any time, Miss Elizabeth," Shanks said, the others having already trickled out of the front door. "Or should I call you Miss Edward now?"

"Just Elizabeth is fine, Captain."

"Miss Edward," he shot a smug smile on his face.

"Using my own tricks against me, I see. Fine. Miss Elizabeth it is."

"Get the hell out of here, so that I can go home," Rayne bitched.

"Yeah yeah. I'm going, hag.

"Night, Captain," I called, heading upstairs.

"Sweet dreams, Miss Elizabeth," Shanks returned.

* * *

Author's Note: Hello I just realized that I haven't updated this since July. I apologize, especially since, I actually updated this in October, just not here. Just a heads up, I post everything on Ao3 under teroinreadsteroinwrites. I also keep a master list with all of my works and links to them on every platform I post on, on my writing blog, which is .com. Anyways. Yeah. Sorry I didn't realize that I never posted chapter 5 on here. On a positive note. I only realized that, because I went to post chapter six, so you guys are getting two chapters in one night.

We have two options on how we can describe this chapter, either A.) Obligatory Bar Scene or B.) Shameless Exposition Dump

* * *

 **Luna Lovegood 777** : Wow, I just realized that I reviewed this story a long time ago... I completely forgot about that... still think it's great though. I hope you update soon!

 _I'm glad you're enjoying it! Enjoy the double update._

 **SnowKi** : more pleaz

 _You got it dude_

 **UntiedHeartbeat** : This is so cute. I wonder how it will continue and what her devil fruit abilities are.

 _Thanks for reading and for commenting._

 **ButterflyAlley** :

Chapter 4 - I don't know if you did rewrite this chapter or not— but it doesn't need anything! It was a pleasure to read. Your OC is so relatable, not at all Mary Sue. I'm so excited to find out who her family is.

Even more excited to see where this story goes. I want her to join his crew, but I'm not sure she would. It would be so good for her to leave the island and be surrounded by people who don't hate her. But would she leave her friends?

I'm waiting with baited breath!

Chapter 3 - It was a short chapter but the interaction was nice. I love that he is so attracted to her and she isn't used to it. It's so relatable.

Chapter 2 - Still love! So excited to read the next chapter. The i relationship is so perfect. It's easy and I'm excited to read more about it

Chapter 1 - Just finished the first chapter and this is incredible! I'm so excited to keep reading. It's well written and the relationship between Elizabeth and Shanks is already so well established.

 _*Squeals with delight* Thank you so much for your lovely comments!_

 **Guest** : Love it I

 _I'm glad you've enjoyed it._

 **BlackDove WhiteDove** : XD ahahaha yay silly Lil pirates this MC is too much awesome for you to handle

 _I'm glad you like her. Elizabeth is one of my favorites to write._


	6. Chapter 6

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Fuuuuck," I swore, grabbing my blanket and pulling it up over my head.

The sun was pouring through my bedroom windows. Clearly, whoever had originally built the tavern had a thing for morning sun, seeing as when they drew up the plans, they made the windows in the bedroom eastern facing. Either that or this was a horrible horrible oversight on their part.

It had slipped my mind to shut the curtains the night before. It had been so long since I had slept past sunrise, I'd forgotten how annoying about how disturbing the mornings rays could be.

I let out an irritated growl at the realization. I had overslept long enough for the sun and the people of Aurora to rise. I was running _way_ behind. Opening Balor's third eye had clearly taken a taken a bit out of me if my oversleeping and the pounding in my head were anything to go by.

On the bright side, I was undoubtedly off from the store. Gene had certainly about me trying to boil a man from the inside, and he was well aware of the effect I that it had on me.

While I was sure that I could handle a normal workday this time, there was no way that he was going to let me try. If I showed up at the store, he'd just send me home with a rant about how he'd been running that store since long before I was born.

Back to the negatives, I hadn't gone to pick up my groceries. Most of the village was up by now, including Tel and his goon squad. My groceries were probably in his possession.

I should've just gone back to sleep, instead of thinking about how my morning was wasted. But it was too late for that. I was wide awake.

I sat up, running a hand through my black hair. I rose out of bed, cracked my joints. I wasn't sore. It used to be that even going Balor would leave me feeling like I had gotten beat up by a bunch of wild gorillas. It usually went away after I rested for a few days or when Marco used his flames of restoration.

I headed to the bathroom, stripping out of my night clothes and getting in the shower. I let the warm water run over me, relaxing my tense muscles.

I loved the water. I loved running around in the rain, standing under waterfalls, diving into the sea. I felt alive in the water. My father used to tell me that we were all children of the sea. That had always stuck with me. Maybe that was why the ocean felt like home.

Even now, I yearned to return to her, despite that fact that she had rejected me.

Once the water ran cold, I stepped out of shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I ran a brush through my hair and brushed my teeth, before dressing in a too large shirt that one of the boys had left behind and a pair of shorts.

Dressed, I headed to the kitchen and put the kettle on, and scanned my cupboards looking for something to eat.

Three knocks on the door pulled my attention from my search.

The three raps were too quick to be Gene, and that hag didn't knock. She banged on the door and screamed at me.

I eyed warily it for a moment, waiting to see if they knocked again, which they did.

I approached slowly. There was a distinct possibility that this was some stupid pranks set up by one of Tel's idiots. I would open the door, and something would blow up or whatever.

Three more knocks.

I pulled the curtain back from the small window, peering outside.

My unease gave way to confusion, upon seeing who was standing on the other side. I unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Captain?"

"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth," he responded, cheerily.

"Did you get lost?" I asked. "The bar's downstairs."

"I've never lost my way, when there's booze at my destination, though I can't say that I'd mind getting lost, if it led me to a pretty girl's apartment," he said. "But that's not why I'm here. I have a delivery for you," he said teasingly, holding a basket, which I was fairly certain I had seen on the porch of the inn before, towards me.

I tentatively took it, checking its contents. "You grabbed my groceries?"

"It was either me or what's his face," he offered. "But I figured you'd much rather I show up here than him."

That was for sure. The last time I had slept in, Tel had picked up my groceries and then pelted them at me, when I left for the store in the morning.

This was before I had started training with haki. Even now, observation was the type that I was least adept with. Not only was it embarrassing, especially, since they made sure everyone knew about it, but then I had to go around paying everyone for the shit that they threw at me, so they didn't think I was a thief and would continue our arrangement.

"Are they paid for?" I asked. "Because it won't matter if it was you or Tel, if no one left the cash."

"I did. I couldn't have people thinking that my favorite outcast was a thief." Shanks wore a warm smile, leaning against the banister.

"Thank you," I said, the words catching in my throat.

The sincerity in my words caught both of us off guard.

It was a simple favor, but it meant a lot to me. My brothers didn't give a shit about my reputation. What reason did they have to? They were pirates and they didn't live here.

But I did. I had to see these people every day. While I didn't care about what people thought of me from a personal standpoint (If they had a problem then fuck 'em.), I did care about how their opinions of me effected my everyday life.

"I- Thanks. Give me a second, and I'll go grab some cash."

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving me off.

"You don't have to buy my groceries," I said.

"I didn't have to bring them either," he shot, "But I wanted to. I'm also supposed to tell you to not to even think about going near that store today."

I rolled my eyes. "I figured." I adjusted the basket on my arm. "If you won't let me pay you back. At least let me make you breakfast," I offered. "I was just about to make some for myself anyways."

"You don't have- "

I cut him off, an easy smile on my face, my tone smug, "But I want to."

He chuckled, grinning back at me. "I guess I can't argue with that, now can I?"

"Not at all. Now, come in."

I stepped aside, allowing Shanks into my apartment. I led him through the living room, into the kitchen. "Have a seat."

I moved my kettle off the burner and placed a frying pan on the flame, lowering the heat.

"Nice place," Shanks complimented, sitting at my kitchen table.

Seeing him at my doorstep was strange, but this was surreal seeing him at my table. It was something about how domestic it looked.

He was a powerful pirate, a yonko, the same as my father. It was easy to imagine him on a ship, in a tavern or in a battle, but not in my kitchen, fingers drumming against the table, looking around at the items hanging on the wall.

I thought back to when my father would visit, back when I was little, but I couldn't remember him ever being in my home. We were always out or my mother and I were on his ship. Granted, thinking about it as an adult, I realized that he probably couldn't have fit in our house, but still.

"Thanks. Rayne lets me rent it. It had been sitting empty, ever since she moved out."

"She used to live here?"

"Yes, and I try not to think about that too much, because I don't want to think about what she used to do here."

It had been an upsetting moment to say the least, when I realized that anyone of Rayne's stories from her younger years probably took place in the same place that I now called home.

Shanks scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Exactly." I pulled out a second mug and another infuser, filling it with tea leaves. It was a blend that Izo had brought me on his last visit.

"How long have you lived here?"

"Since I was dropped off here," I answered easily. "Rayne lived here, when she was young, but moved out, when she got married."

"She was married?"

I nodded. I had been surprised too, when I first found out. "Yeah. She doesn't talk about her husband much. From what I've gathered, they met on the seas. They came back here and settled down, but he was always drawn back. One day he went off and never came back. I don't know what happened, whether it was his choice or if she lost him. She doesn't want to talk about it, so I don't ask."

I filled the mugs, setting one down in front of Shanks.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I went back to my cupboards. "I was thinking pancakes, maybe with those blue berries you picked up for me. Oh! I think I have chocolate chips in here somewhere! Do you have a problem with a sweet breakfast?"

"No, not at all," he answered chuckling.

I glared at him over my shoulder. "What?"

"I didn't say anything," he raised his hand up in surrender.

"Maybe not with your words, but you did with your tone. I prefer to do the mocking, not being mocked."

"I wasn't mocking you. I just didn't think that you would be one for sweets."

"And why is that?"

"Bad ass bartender, who can kick the shit out of an entire pirate crew? Not exactly someone that I think of having a weakness for chocolate chips."

"People can surprise you, Captain. I never expected one of the four emperors to deliver my groceries to me."

"Touché."

I turned my attention back to grabbing the necessary ingredients and measuring them out.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm perfectly fine, just a headache. Balor used to kick my ass, even in hybrid form, but now it's just, when I open the third eye. It just depends on how long it was open for. Last night's incident wasn't that bad. I didn't keep it open that long, so a little extra sleep did the trick."

"I've seen a few fruits take a toll on its user like that, but I've never seen one like yours."

"Most people haven't. What about you? It's kind of hard to believe that you wouldn't have one."

"I don't. I never really saw what all the hype was about."

I laughed at that. Never saw the appeal. He was strong enough to become a yonko on his own. Really, what more was a devil fruit going to accomplish?

"You're something else, Captain. Could go after whatever fruit you want, and you think they're over hyped."

He shrugged. "All that hype means we'll fetch a pretty penny if we ever come across one again."

"Again?"

"A couple of years ago, we came across the gomu gomu no mi."

"The gum gum fruit? I never heard of that one."

"Turns your body to rubber."

"How much did you sell it for?"

"We didn't. A kid ate it."

I paused my mixing, turning to look at him, incredulous. "Did you just say a kid ate it?"

"Luffy," he elaborated, his expression fond.

"How old was he?"

"Seven? He's probably nine or ten now."

I balked. "You let a child eat a devil fruit?!"

Shanks was quick to defend himself. "We didn't _let_ him. We were dealing with some bandits-"

"You are not helping your case," I interjected.

"They came to the tavern and-"

"Captain!"

"I DIDN'T TAKE HIM THERE! The girl there watched him. The bandits came looking for trouble, which we did _not_ give them, but while we were laughing about it, Luffy ate the fruit."

I just gawked at him for a moment. "So… A kid ate a devil fruit… Because you weren't… _Paying attention_?"

"It would seem, though to be fair, I'm a pirate, not a babysitter."

"So, you let a seven-year-old steel your loot, which was worth hundreds of thousands of bellies, because you weren't paying attention?" I deadpanned.

He deflated a bit. "Alright, that I should be ashamed of."

I nodded in agreement, stirring the batter.

"Luffy's a strong kid. He's fine with it. He was way more upset about me losing my arm than eating the fruit."

"Captain, please tell me that he was horrified by the story and not that you some how brought a child to a situation, where you lost a limb."

"He told off the mountain bandits, so they took him as a hostage. We beat most of them, but the leader took Luffy out to sea. I went to save him, and a sea king took my arm."

"One: I don't have children, but if I did, I would never ever let them anywhere near you. Two: I'm having difficulty believing that a sea king took your arm. I know that you have conqueror's haki, and even if you didn't, I know that you are more than strong enough to take out a sea king. Even I can take out a sea king."

"Luffy wants to be the pirate king. With spirit like his he might actually be able to do it one day, but he's foolish and reckless." His grin returned.

"He's _seven_ ," I pointed out. "Kids have to-" I nearly dropped my bowl. "You gave up an arm to teach a kid a lesson?"

Shanks' smile didn't falter. It seemed to widen if anything. "I like to think that I placed a bet on a new era."

I shook my head in disbelief. "That kid must _really_ be something."

"Who knows? Maybe you'll meet him some day."

"Maybe. But usually crews head straight for the Grand Line. They don't take the time to explore the four blues. Granted getting from one sea to another is hard, but still. There's so much that you can take from them, before heading into the Grand Line."

"Wisdom from your brothers?"

I snorted. "No. Those idiots were either born on the Grand Line or flocked to it like moths to a flame. I learned that from those," I said, gesturing to the bookcases that wrapped around the corner and lined the wall in the living room.

"What are they?" Shanks asked, looking behind him.

"Why don't you pull one down and find out?"

He reached out, grabbing a book and placing it in front of him, flipping through it.

I poured the batter into the pan.

"Are these all captain's logs?"

"Whenever my father defeats a crew, he takes the captain's log and sends it to me with one of my brothers. They're my most prized possessions."

I looked back to see, which one he had plucked off the shelf.

"White Tipped Sebastian," I noted, peering over Shanks' shoulder. I returned my attention to the pancakes, so that they didn't burn. "A fishman. He led a rebellion against the crew that had purchased him with the other slaves aboard. Once they defeated the captain and commandeered the ship, they started their own crew. They did pretty well for themselves, until they decided to challenge the Old Man. After they lost, they joined the eighth division."

He placed it back on the shelf and grabbed a different one.

"Ugh, why did you have to pick that one?"

Unlike the others, which were for the most part wrapped in humble brown and black leather, this one was red with gold accents. "The bastard convinced people to join his crew, just to turn around and sell them at Saboady. "

"Do you have all these memorized?"

"You seem to forget that I have quite a bit of time on my hands. I spend most of it reading."

"Yeah, but you have a ton of logs."

"Well, I don't get to leave. I don't even get to go on vacation, let alone have grandiose adventures on the sea, which would be fine, but I don't get to have a normal life either. I don't have friends. I don't go out. The only people, who don't hate me are either elderly or related to me, and even then, that doesn't mean that they all like me. So, I have to live vicariously through those logs, the news, my brothers, and I would say crews like yours, but if I'm being honest, I've never met a crew like yours, who I can talk to like this."

I took a deep breath. I hadn't meant to blurt that all out, but it always annoyed me, when my brothers or Rayne were surprised at how much I read or how many things I'd sewn or how many recipes I tried out. What the hell else was there for me to do? Maybe it would be different if I was trapped in a big city, some place that was always changing, but I was in Aurora, where we did the same shit every damn day.

"I spend a lot of time reading over those logs, so yes, I have most of them memorized."

Shanks sensed that it was a bit of a touchy subject and didn't comment on my rambled, which I appreciated. Instead, he focused on the logs. "Who's your favorite?"

I stacked the finished pancakes on a plate next to the stove and poured more batter into the pan. While those cooked, I set the table.

"I don't know that I have one favorite. My favorite captains are the ones that you can tell genuinely care for their crews, the ones, who see their men are more than a crew, but as friends, as family. I think that's why I like you and your men so much."

"That's it? It has nothing to do with my ruggedly good looks or chivalry?"

"I mean it's mostly those deep deep pockets that you so generously tip me from."

"Ah ha! There's the real reason. You're all about the loot."

I shrugged, placing the pancakes in the center of the table, depositing two of them onto his plate. "What can I say? It runs in my blood. Plus, you have looks, but I'm not sure good is a word I'd use, not rugged either. Maybe ragged and-"

"Ridiculous…" he finished flatly.

"Exactly! Now you're getting it."

"You're mean, Eliza," he said with a pout.

I sat down and snatched up a pancake for myself, trying to ignore bubble of laughter that was trying to escape.

"I would have you know that there are women across the seas that have told me they find my roguish appearance sexy," he boasted.

"It doesn't count, when you pay them."

Shanks' jaw dropped, before he threw his head back, letting out a loud laugh that probably could be heard in the tavern downstairs.

I teased him sure, but Shanks wasn't exactly hard to look at. He was tall with skin tanned by the sun pulled tight over his muscles, which were almost always on display seeing he always rolled up his sleeve to his elbow and never did more than half of the buttons on his shirt. Like this laughing openly, eyes dancing with amusement, it was easy to see why so many found him alluring.

At the same time his sharp features and smug, at times arrogant, grin played to the devilish rogue, which was only emphasized by the sense of danger the three parallel lines across his face emanated.

My eyes got caught on the three jagged lines, marring his flesh, bringing to a question that I had been sitting on since I first saw him to the forefront of my mind.

"Can I ask you something that you probably don't want to answer?" I asked, once he settled down.

"You mean aside from that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, aside from that."

"Go ahead. I think it's only fair at this point."

"Did Teach give you those scars?"

Shanks sighed, seeming burdened, like there was an invisible weight on his shoulders. "Yeah that was him."

I nodded solemnly, reaching across the table to push the red strands hanging in front of the scars back, giving me a clear look. "Looks like his handiwork."

"You've got quite the interesting family Miss Elizabeth," Shanks said with a sad smile, leaning his head into my palm.

"He is _not_ my family," I corrected quickly, pulling my hand back. "If my father can choose his sons, then I can choose my brothers. He doesn't make the cut. I know the others believe that Teach is an underachiever. No one really thinks too much of him, but he's…"

"Dangerous," Shanks finished.

"Yeah, but there's something else there. My brothers are dangerous. You are dangerous. However, none of you make my skin crawl."

"You're a smart girl, not so smart as to not let a dangerous pirate into your apartment, but smart."

I snorted. "Listen here, Red Hair. I'm not saying that I would beat you, because I doubt that I would be able to, but we both know that if we fought, you wouldn't be coming out of that unscathed.

"Plus, you're smart too, smart enough to know that hurting me would cause a war. Maybe you and your men would win. Maybe you wouldn't. But there would be death on both sides. I told you that one of the main reasons I like you is because I like how you treat your crew. You wouldn't ask them to die over someone like me."

Shanks scoffed.

"What?"

"Maybe you're not that smart after all."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Maybe I should've poisoned your pancakes."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This was so so hard to write. Every attempt felt forced, but the other day it just clicked, so I feel this felt more natural.


	7. Chapter 7

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"DIE DEMON!"

"EAT SAND!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the balls of wet sand that were being lobbed at me.

They say that the apple doesn't fall from the tree. The children running along the beach, scooping up handfuls of sand from the shore were proof of that. Mari and TJ were just as rotten as Tel. The same could be said of the other kids, all of whom were offspring of Tel's cronies.

"Knock it off!" Gene yelled from the roof.

As if these were annoying brats were going to listen.

Gene was replacing a section of the roof. I was playing the roll of elevator, hoisting materials up to him, via our makeshift lift that consisted of a wooden pallet connected to some rope, which was tossed over a sturdy branch of the massive tree that grew behind the store. I then pulled the rope, lifting Gene up first with his tools and supplies following shortly after.

Usually, once everything was up there, I would retreat inside until Gene hollered for me. If it was a particularly large load. I secured the rope to a counter weight of some sort, so that I didn't have to stand there until he was finished working.

It wasn't particularly laborious for me. If needed, I could hold the weight for hours without getting tired, but it was boring, and I would be far more productive in the store.

I had the current load of boards about half way up, when the wind started to pick up, catching the boards and causing the whole pallet to spin, occasionally bumping into the store. While I was trying to straighten out, the kids showed up.

Now, I was stuck. I couldn't keep my eyes open, because of the damn sand. I couldn't see to straighten out the boards. I couldn't see if there were any little bastards underneath them either, so I couldn't drop them.

I didn't want to hurt them. They were stupid kids, who didn't know any better, because they were taught to be cruel, by a group of absolute assholes. Plus, the last thing I needed was the town to get the pitchforks and torches to chase me out for accidently squashing a child.

I heard the sound of something whizzing by my head and then felt the wet smack of sand hitting my arm.

I bit back the urge to swear. I could hear it now. ' _The Demon spewed obscenities at a group of innocent children!'_

"HYA!" someone grunted out, right before I was beamed in the face. It was quickly followed by gleeful giggles and more taunts.

A low whistle interrupted their jeers. "Pretty lucky shot there, kid."

"Lucky?!" TJ cried out indignantly. Of course, it would be Tel, Jr. that hit me. "I have the best aim in Aurora!"

The others hyped him up.

"I dunno. Looked like a lucky shot to me."

"Yasopp," I warned. "Knock it off."

A familiar chuckle met my ears. If I could've opened my eyes without getting sand in them, I would've glared at Shanks.

"Watch this!"

TJ scooped up some more sand. I braced myself, just in case he landed a hit. Fortunately, nothing made contact, though I did feel the wind shift as the sand flew by me.

"Like I said, lucky. Listen kid. If you're gonna say you have the best aim in the village, you have to be able to land multiple shots in a row."

There was a mischievous edge to Yasopp's voice. Seven successive wet smacks followed.

' _He didn't…_ '

"FILTHY PIRATE!"

"MY DAD'S GOING TO GET YOU!"

One kid started crying.

' _He did._ '

The indignant shouts and wet wails didn't stop but faded as the kids ran back home.

Once I was sure they were gone, I let out a sigh and released the rope from my left hand, still holding steady with my right.

I wiped the sand from my eyes and finally opened them.

Shanks and Yasopp were smiling in the direction that the kids ran off in.

"Did you just throw sand at a bunch of kids?" I asked, eyeing the boards. I adjusted the rope, so that they weren't in danger of hitting the store. I then quickly hoisted them up, walking back to the large anchor that I used as a counter weight. It was a bit low after tying it up, so I pulled the anchor back a bit.

"Brains, beauty and brawn. Miss Elizabeth, you're quiet the triple threat."

"I can't believe you held that up and aren't even tired," Yasopp followed.

"I'm the daughter of the strongest man in the world, and you're surprised I can do a little lifting? You've got the brawn, but maybe you should work on the brains," I said, starting towards the store.

"What about the beauty?" Shanks asked.

"We've discussed this. It could use some work," I teased.

"I can't decide if I find you two, cute or disgusting."

"Funny, because I can't decide if I should thank you or scold you for _throwing sand at chi_ _ldren_."

"Hey! I helped you out!" he argued.

"Yeah, until Tel comes after me later, cause his bastards have sand in their eyes."

"You will too, if you don't get the rest of that sand off of your face."

I went to wipe at my face again.

"Here." Shanks pulled a bandana out of his pocket, bringing it to my face. I closed my eyes, allowing him to dust the sand off.

"I'm guessing you're here to check on your order?" I asked.

"He is," Yasopp answered. "I'm here to make sure that he actually asks about it and doesn't just flirt with you the whole time."

"Why don't I throw you all over board again?" Shanks grumbled.

"Because we're the only crew willing to put up with you."

"The last bit came in today. I'm going to unload and put away the stock tomorrow. I'll have it all packed up for you to pick up the day after. Then you can load up and head off on your next adventure."

I'll admit that I was sad, knowing that Shanks and his men would be leaving soon. Their presence in Aurora was the most entertainment that I had had in years. On the other hand, it was for the best. No doubt one of my brothers was already on their way and would be here soon. Any overlap would be disastrous.

Shanks pulled his hand back and I opened my eyes again. "I'm happy to help you. But I'm sure that you're already aware that it's going to cost you."

"How about I pay you in whiskey?"

"CASH ONLY!" Gene yelled from the roof.

"Whiskey is fine," I mouthed.

"I saw that!"

I turned to face Gene. "Quit yapping and get to fixing, so that I can leave!"

"Quit your yapping and get to working before I fire you!"

"You'd be lost without me!"

"I've been running that store, since before you were born! I am-"

I shook my head, walking back to the store as he ranted.

"I'll catch up with you boys later."

"Bye, Liz!"

"See you later, Miss Elizabeth."

I went back inside and started to do some cleaning. It was fairly boring work, but that was fine. I'd take boring.

After a few hours, the bell chimed. I looked up at the door. Tel was there, alone, which was odd for him. He usually had at least one flunky with him.

"Demon!" he spat, seething where he stood. His muscles were tense and the veins in his neck and forehead were visible.

"Asshole," I returned, exhausted by the conversation even though it had just begun.

"What the hell did you do to my children?"

"Nothing," I answered annoyed. "I couldn't have done anything. I couldn't see, because I had my eyes closed, so that I didn't get sand in them, because your brats and their little friends thought they should throw it in my face!"

"Nothing?! You called a band of pirates to attack them!"

"Bullshit! I stood there and let them throw shit at me like I always do.

"They told me Red Hair was there."

"He and Yasopp showed up to check on their order. If your kids hadn't decided to stand there and torment me, then they wouldn't have run into them."

"How convenient," he sneered. "Tell me, when they attack my home will that be just another coincidence?"

"Contrary to whatever you tell yourself, you're not important enough for anyone to fucking attack you."

"So you go after children instead."

I let out an annoyed growl. Tel was good for talking in circles, never letting an argument rest.

"We've been going through the same shit for nearly twenty years! We both know that I didn't do a god damned thing to your kids, the same way I haven't done anything to you, your stupid goons or to anyone else in this fucking village."

"You've done nothing but cause problems since you got here."

"No, _you've_ done nothing, but cause problems, since I got here. Every time something happens that involves me, it's because _you_ started it." Tel flinched every time I pointed at him, as if the simple gesture would harm him.

"Because you shouldn't be here!"

"BUT I AM!" I yelled, throwing my arms up. "And at this point there isn't a damn thing either of us can do about it. We've both been trying for years."

"Maybe not, but I can do something about those pirates that you bring through."

"Do you just think I'm out here puppeteering every pirate crew in the world? I don't have any type of control of any of the crews that dock here. Hell, I don't even have a hint of control over my brothers."

"You don't bring them through?! Every time a crew shows up, they flock to you!"

"I sell booze and supplies, of course they're going to flock to me. It's coincidental."

"Another coincidence," he scoffed. "Is it coincidence that you're so buddy buddy with all of them?"

"No, that's not a coincidence. That's intentional. One: Being nice to people is a key aspect of customer service, especially you want a tip. Two: Unlike some people, I don't make it a habit of being a prick to people for no reason."

"They're dangerous," he said lowly.

"Anyone can be dangerous, even you. Should someone go after you, because you might be a threat?"

"I _might_ be, but he Red Hair _is_ , and we can't take that risk."

I pulled a face. What a fucking load of shit this is was. Pirates were dangerous and it was all my fault, because I did nothing to provoke them into being dangerous. It was my fault, because I treated them like people instead of like some kind of wild dog. It was my fault, because I was fucking there.

"Tel, unlike you, I know about what goes on outside of this island. I know that the Red-Haired Crew isn't just a pirate crew like you seem to think. Shanks and his men are one of the four strongest crews in the whole world. Shanks can knock you out without moving a muscle. If his crew thinks he is in any real danger, which trust me they don't, they'll get to you, before you can get to him."

"Are you trying to scare me from going after your precious captain?"

"No, I just want to cover my bases, so that when he embarrasses you, you can't say that I didn't warn you. Now, get the fuck out. I got better shit to do than argue in circles with you."

"We'll see, who's embarrassed."

"Fuck off."

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **BlackDove WhiteDove:** Ah! I didn't expect white beard to be the father! XD ahahaha Glorious, Thank you for the update!

 _Thank you for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying it. I thought that it was really obvious that Whitebeard was her father, so I'm very happy to hear that you were surprised._

 **Shion Lee:** Love this

 _Thank you!_

 **WhiteyWolf26:** That was a marvellous chapter, thank you! :)

I hope we'll hear about those two again soon, they're just too entertaining and fit together just SO WELL! Seriously, they're perfect for each other.

I'm picturing Shanks and his someday-to-be ;) father-in-law and brothers-in-law and immediately crack up like a maniac. xD  
I have honestly no idea who to feel more sorry for... I mean, yonko or not, those are some seriously intimidating in-laws. On the other hand, Shanks can very much dish out as good as he gets. ;)  
I can already see poor Marco going up in flames.  
Instead of annoyed at constantly being asked to join the Red-Hairs, Shanks'll probably get his kicks out of joyously greeting his DEAREST brother-in-law every damn time they see each other. :D

Well, or not, that's entirely up to you, but I find the mental pictures hella entertaining. ;)

Thank you!

 _I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I love the idea of Shanks just living for the opportunity to fuck with the Whitebeard Crew. That and everyone being excited to see Elizabeth, but then being like oh you brought him with you. Joy._

 **WhiteyWolf26:** Of course she's Whitebeards daughter.

Of course, who else could she be.

Poor Shanks just can't catch a break. xD

 _Of course. I wasn't going to make this easy. Where's the fun in that? Granted, I feel that if I were Shanks I'd be happy she's Whitebeard's and not Kaido's or Big Mom's._

 **starrat:** I loved it looking forward to the next chapter

 _I hope you liked it!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

"You do realize that while I am technically under her employ, you are under no obligation to the old bat's bidding," I said as Shanks and I walked back to Rayne's. I twirled her cane in my hands, careful not to drop it. The last thing I needed was a lecture about damaging other people's property.

One of the younger members of the crew, a hot head named Mattie, had made a comment that I wasn't close enough to hear. Whatever he said must've really been something though, because Rayne whipped her cane up and broke it over his head with an expletive filled warning about respecting your elders.

"Would you tell her no, when she's like that?" he challenged.

It was a fair point. Even at her current age, Rayne was frightening. Sometimes I wondered if the frail old lady bit was just an act, if in actuality, she was some immortal being, who posed as an elderly bar keep, because she wanted to live a simple existence. I could only imagine what she had been like, when she was younger. Full of piss and vinegar with the muscle to back it all up.

"Plus, I'm hardly going to pass up the chance to take a late-night stroll with you."

I snorted. "You're really laying it on thick."

"Mattie's brave sacrifice has given me this opportunity; it'd be a shame to waste it."

"I don't think brave is right word here. Stupid is probably a better fit. Plus, I'm sure he'll be fine. I mean the cane broke, not his head, so it can't be too bad, and I doubt that someone that could be taken out by an old lady with a cane would've made it this long on your crew."

"I guess you're right," he conceded. "Sometimes I forget that you don't just know us but know of us."

"I know that Aurora is a bit detached from everything, but despite my father's best efforts, I am not. Honestly, it amazes me how ignorant people here are. They don't know a damn thing that happens outside of the West, not about Paradise, the New World, my father, you."

"But you do, and you don't seem to care at all."

I shrugged. "You already said it, because I know you. I don't just know of you."

"You didn't, when we first arrived."

"No, but I'm associated with worse."

Shanks scoffed. "That's what they like to think."

"That's true. They _really_ don't like you, not than any yonko crew likes another, but still. Every time you come up, it's always ' _That obnoxious Red Haired Bast-'"_

Faster than I could blink, I found myself staring at the black cape that hung from Shanks' shoulders. I barely heard the sound of his blade being drawn, the swoosh as it moved through the air, the squish as he deflected the projectiles that had been fired at us.

With a disgusting squelch the projectile fell to the ground, as a red mist from this impact fell upon us. My eyes followed it, fairly certain of what it was and who was responsible.

I picked up one of the blood-soaked sponges. "Same old shit," I muttered.

"Is that a sponge?" Shanks asked.

"Yes," I answered. I was on alert now, scanning the area around me. This was surely only the first wave. They never stopped at just one. "They load them up with dish water, mud, piss, blood-"

I spun around, stepping out of the next sponges flight path. I reached out and caught it, so that the spray flew away from my body.

' _Assholes. All of them_.'

I put all of my strength into throwing the stupid thing as far as I could over the trees. It likely would've landed in the ocean, but if I was lucky maybe it would land on their fishing boats. If I was even luckier the smell of blood would stick to the boat and they'd get attack by a shark or a sea king.

"They're easier to fill than water balloons. If you try to deflect it, it splatters."

Another one same towards us, and Shanks deflected it.

"I guess having a pirate bodyguard comes in handy," Tel sneered, walking out of the bushes.

I didn't even have it in me to be angry at this point. I was just tired. "Yeah. It does. Are we done? This is pointless, and I really want to go wash my hands."

"Bothered by a little blood on your hands? I figured you'd be used to it by now, demon."

"I-"

Shanks' haki rolled over the area like a tidal wave, crashing into everyone around him. My words caught in my throat, and Tel's men dropped like flies, falling out of tree branches and out of their hiding places.

I was standing strong, but I was a little stunned. This was the will of an emperor. This was Red-Haired Shanks, captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, this was someone, who could go toe-to-toe with my father.

The only member of the goon squad still conscious was Tel. It was clearly only because Shanks wanted him awake.

The pain in the ass was pressed up against a tree, the edge of Shanks' blade against his neck. All the color had drained from his face, and he had broken into a sweat. His breathing quickened, bordering on hyperventilating.

"Her name is Elizabeth," Shanks corrected.

Shanks was calm. He kept his voice low and his tone casual, as if he was casually discussing the weather. His eyes were stern, and his lips were turned down in a slight frown. It was an odd sight. Shanks was loud and goofy by nature. He was bright smiles and belly laughs.

"I've always said that weapons are meant for actions, not words. But you're not interested in actions, are you? You're only interested in reactions. Pushing people, until they do what you want, manipulating them, so that you can maintain your status.

"It's a pretty good strategy for keeping favor within the village. The problem is that it relies on you being able to react faster than your target."

In all the years that I had been in Aurora, never had I seen Tel, so obviously afraid. I'd seen him rattled on a number of occasions, but this was something else. There were no taunts, no false bravado, no sneers. There were no cronies, no hype-men, no back up, no witnesses to this.

Tel was alone, and he was terrified.

"Shanks," I called, my voice surprisingly firm.

He glanced back at me. I tried to give him a less than impressed stare, tried being the operative word.

Shanks focused back on Tel. "If you want to talk about people having blood on their hands, then I'm your guy, not her. More people have died on the end of my blade than you can possibly imagine. Honestly, I wouldn't think too much of adding you to that list. I don't have any empathy for people, who mistreat the people I care about. But Miss Elizabeth wouldn't like that, and you would cause her more problems dead than you do alive."

Shanks pulled his sword back, sheathing it.

Tel collapsed to the ground. Tears poured down his face, whimpers leaving his lips.

"Elizabeth could very well be the demon that you want her to be, yet she chooses puts up with your harassment day in and day out. She gives more consideration to the feelings of the people here than they have ever given to her. She protects you, knowing that if given the chance you would throw her to the wolves.

"That woman you call demon, the one that you try to break is stronger and kinder than you could ever be. She's a saint disguised as a demon, and she is the only reason that you are alive right now. If I were you, I'd thank her, when I woke up."

Whatever restraint that Shanks had been exhibiting to keep Tel awake snapped, and he was out cold.

Shanks took a deep breath, before turning around, a sheepish grin on his blood splattered face. "Sor- "

Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I cut him off. "Th- Thank you."

"Eliza- "

"Come on," I said, my speech steadier. "Let's get this cane to the hag, and then we can do something about all this blood."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I've been struggling to determine how exactly this fic is going to play out, but I think I've figured it out.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **xenocanaan** : I can't wait to read more!

 _I wish I could say you don't have to wait long, but that'd be a bold face lie, so instead I'm just gonna go with, 'Here you go!'_

 **surgeonlaw:** Oh wow! I really like this! I love that Eliza is such a strong character and even appearance wise so interesting (and so not standard :D ) Thanks for writing this!

 _Thank you for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Eliza is one of my favorite characters to write. She just comes to me so naturally. I'm so happy that you find her appearance. I'm working to make my character descriptions more diverse and inclusive, instead of using my characters as a form of wish fulfillment._

 **WhiteyWolf26:** Welcome back and thanks for the chapter!

Well... yeah. I'll give it you, being Whitebeard's kid is indeed a whole lot better than being Kaido's or Big Mom's (for everyone involved). xD

Hm... Will the Red-Hairs make it off the island before any of Liz' brothers arrive...? Somehow I don't think she'll be that lucky. And yes, I mean /she/. Shanks won't worry about being "caught" there at all, on the contrary; you stated it yourself, he loves making himself a nuisance to the Old Man and his sons far to much for that. ;) Liz though? Really doesn't need /that/ drama. And wow, 15 years of that crap? I won't be too surprised if Liz just finally says "Enough!" and up and leaves with Shanks when he sets sail. Well, after her brother's visit so she can make it clear she's leaving of her own volition.

I know, I know, that is very, very unlikely since she'd risk inciting war between two yonko crews; but I imagine that the temptation is there. Because just dragging her off another yonko's ship and back to the island reallyy wouldn't work to well. But a girl can dream, ne? ;)

 _Yeah no, Shanks wouldn't give a shit. If anything he'd be overjoyed at having the chance to tease Miss Elizabeth and screw with one of her brothers. The temptation to leave has always been there for Elizabeth. She used to try to run away, when she was younger, but she never got very far. She hasn't tried in years, but a lot has changed since then._

 **Yuki Suou:** oh I'm looking forward to the embarrassment

 _I hope round one was to your liking._

umm ch 5 and 6 are same? did anyone mention ?

 _Fixed. Thanks for the catch!_

Yep, I thought the same about Shanks loosing his arm as well. he was Merlin-damned Yonks, of course he wouldn't lose to a measly sea-king.

 _No way he just gets straight up punked by a sea king. I refuse._

 **starrat** : Awesome job looking forward to the next chapter

 _Thank you!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

I tried to relax as I stood under the warm spray of the shower. I had been hoping that the heat would seal into my muscles, releasing the tension that had built up from the confrontation with Tel.

However, the heat didn't stand a chance with the image of Tel from earlier, circling around in my brain, causing my muscles to tighten up. I'd never seen him like that before. I had spooked him sure, but he'd never seemed so powerless, when I confronted him.

Maybe for the first time, he had truly understood what it felt like to be helpless. There was no one there for him. His goons were knocked out. We had been far enough away from the village that no one would've seen him or even heard him.

He had been at Shanks' mercy. He was vulnerable. He was… human.

In hindsight, Tel had always seemed like some kind of _other_ to me, like he was somehow above everyone around him. I couldn't decide if it was the way that he carried himself, like he was invincible, Hell- to me he was. I could do nothing to him. Even if I won an exchange, the way he would then twist it and turn the situation against me was just as bad as if I had lost. Or maybe it was the way that he was treated.

Tel wasn't just the golden boy in Aurora. He was revered. He was their savior. To an extent that was true. Tel had prevented, hundreds maybe even thousands of crimes with his ambushes.

Whatever it was, it wasn't anything new. I had just never noticed it before. It wasn't until it had cracked, did I even notice his armor.

It was an unnervingly familiar feeling.

When I was young, one of the men in the family I served was engaged to the king's eldest daughter, something he achieved only because of his family's wealth. His father had hosted a dinner for him to meet the men in the king's inner circle.

The one, a well-respected man, who had served the previous king up until his death said something "out of turn." The son shot him right there at the dinner table. There was a brief moment, where I thought that the cruel bastard was going to get his comeuppance, but no one moved, not even the man's wife, whose pale blue dress was stained with his blood.

I was stunned. He could do whatever he wanted, and no one dared say a word. He was untouchable. The whole family was untouchable, and they didn't even wear the crown.

Or at least they had been, until they fed me my fruit.

I hadn't needed to touch them to kill them, but there was something empowering about finally wrapping my hand around the son's throat and squeezing, until the bones in his neck crumbled under my strength.

I wondered briefly what he had looked like then. Try as I might, I couldn't remember their faces. I wondered if any of them had worn the same expression as Tel that day. I had been so overwhelmed by my fruit, consumed by blood lust and rage, I really hadn't been able to focus on anything else.

That being said, I honestly didn't think any of them would've, especially not the father or the son. If they could've spoke, they probably would've cursed me for having the gall to even think about laying a finger on them.

It wouldn't have made a difference. I was out of control. And even if I had spared them, my father most certainly would've killed them, likely taking out the entire island in the process.

Yeah, the hot water wasn't going to help. I was just thinking in circles, opening old wounds. Plus, I had to go see what trouble Shanks had gotten into. I had let him shower first, giving him some things of my brothers' to wear, while our clothes sat in a special soak for removing blood that Rayne had taught me.

When I was dry and dressed in my pajamas, I returned to the living room.

I was once again struck by the domesticity of the scene in front of me.

Shanks was sitting on the couch, leaning back against the arm, his legs stretched out in front of him. His hair was still damp, a slightly darker shade of red than when it was dry. His mug was sitting on the end table behind him, illuminated by the warm glow of the lamp there. He was leafing through the log that I had been reading earlier in the day.

It was belonged to a rather brutish pirate from the South Blue, Loathsome Lawrence. (A rather boring epithet in my opinion.)

"I thought I was going to have to come and get you," he said. He was focused on the log in front of him, but I could see the corner of his lip turn upwards.

"Let me guess-"I started, picking up the empty mug and heading to the kitchen. "-You would've been more than happy to come and save me from the big bad shower, but since you only have one arm you have no way to cover your eyes and help me up off the floor at the same time?"

I heard the book shut. "That's actually much better that what I was thinking Miss Elizabeth-" his voice got closer as he followed me into the kitchen, perching against the kitchen counter to my right. "-I'm starting to think that you're the pervert here."

I scoffed, emptying the infuser and giving it a quick rinse, before pulling a second infuser and mug from the cupboard. "Probably something to do with all the time I've spent around you." I turned the burner on under the kettle. "Should go away, once you and the boys set sail again."

"Not necessarily."

"What? Does prolonged exposure to your crew have long-term effects?" I teased, reaching up to grab one of my more calming blends.

"No- Well yes- But not- I feel like this is possibly a trick question. That sounds dirty. Was it meant to sound dirty?"

"Do you ever get your mind out of the gutter?"

"No, but that's beside the point. I wasn't thinking about the aftereffects of _prolonged exposure_. I was thinking more about continuous exposure."

For a brief moment, my hand froze on the tin. "What do you mean?" I asked, keeping my hands and to an extent my mind occupied with brewing the tea.

"The crew wants me to ask you to join," Shanks explained, a very odd forced casualness to it. It was awkward. He had sounded more at ease threatening to kill Tel, than he did standing in my kitchen. "You're tough as nails, a heavy hitter, you work hard, you're smart as hell, and we could always use someone, who knows how to pour liquor."

I shut the cupboard door and glanced over at Shanks. I was trying to find some sign that he was just fucking with me. He was watching me carefully, clearly trying to read me the same way that I was trying to read him.

"You want me to be your bar maid?"

"Maybe from time to time, but mostly you'd be in charge of the stores, and helping Benn keep records."

"Records?"

"Gotta keep some track of where we've been. Plus, we should probably leave something for the kids to remember us by."

"As if anyone could forget a captain with such ridiculous hair."

Shanks gave me a small smile, nothing compared to the usual grin that my comment would receive.

"So, the crew wants me to join?"

"They do. They'd tell you yourself, but they figured that they'd be more likely to get a yes, if they sent your favorite crew member."

"I take it Benn was busy."

Shanks nodded. "Very important work. There was a barrel of bourbon that he had to take care of."

"And their captain? What do you think of this?"

"I would love to bring you aboard," he assured me, the words flowing out much easier. "But I also want to kiss you until you can't remember your name, so I might be a bit biased."

I sighed, stuffing the leaves into the infuser. "It'd start a war."

"We've gotten into worse battles for less."

I lifted my gaze to narrow my eyes at him. "We both know you wouldn't ask your men to go to war for me."

He snorted. "I wouldn't _have_ to. They understand what that tattoo on your thigh means, what it means for you, what it would mean for the crew. They're willing to deal with those consequences."

"I'm not," I said. "And if you really understand what the tattoo on my thigh meant, then you understand if you two go to war that it means I have to watch people I care about get hurt, regardless of who the victor is. If you lose, it is because my brothers have at the very least wounded your crew. If you win, then that means the reverse is true. Neither of these sit well with me."

"Does it help if I told you we'll probably clash with him anyways?"

"Not at all." I took a deep breath. "I know you've fought. I know you'll fight again, but it won't be because of me."

Shanks sighed, slumping a bit in defeat, but he made it a point to give me a small grin, before saying, "Okay."

"Okay?"

He pushed off of the counter, so that he could lessen the distance between us. He placed his hand under my chin gently lifting my head, so he could look me in the eye. "Eliza, I'm never going to make you do anything that you don't want to do. I'm not going to force you to choose between us or your brothers. You will always be our friend. I'm not going to make you watch as we clash. If you want to stay here, we'll respect it."

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I didn't think that Shanks would _make_ me leave. What the hell was he going to do? Throw me over his shoulder and run off? But I was happy to know that he and by extension the crew respected it.

I hadn't wanted them to set sail pissed at me, because I hadn't chosen to go with them. If I had thought that there was any way it could work, I maybe would've tried, but it would always be a fight, because my father would never see it as anything other than me being kidnapped by Shanks.

Even if I told him that I had chosen to go with them, he wouldn't have listened. Diplomacy wasn't exactly his style.

"But Eliza-" His serious tone caught me off guard. "I want to remind you, that you don't have to stay here. You have options, other than sailing off with us. You're strong, your smart, you're skilled, you're _dangerous_. You're a force to be reckoned with, and you can raise some real hell on your own.

"You deserve to live your own life, instead of living through the journals of a bunch of people, who couldn't do half of what you're capable of. You shouldn't have to stay here, just because some old fuck, who hasn't spoken to you in years sleeps better thinking you're locked away like a princess in a tower. And you really shouldn't have to take shit from some pissant that you could crush with your pinky."

"You're-"

I wrapped my arms around Shanks' neck, hugging him tight. Shanks' didn't hesitate, bringing his arm around me, his hand resting on my lower back, pulling me closer against him.

We stayed like that for a few moments, before I pulled back so that I could turn the burner on the stove off.

Shanks, however, didn't let me go. He brought his hand up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing over the skin there.

"Eliza?"

"Shanks?"

"I still really want to kiss you," he said.

"Then kiss me."

Shanks leaned in pressing his lips to mine. It was a gentle kiss, a kiss so sweet that it was almost impossible to believe that it could start a war.

We pulled back, silly grins on our faces, and I couldn't help, but giggle.

"What?" Shanks asked.

I shot him mischievous grin.

"I don't like that look."

"Edward Elizabeth."

There was a brief moment of confusion, before Shanks' face morphed into his signature grin. "Family name too? Seems like I have some work to do," he said, leaning in again.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hi! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Not gonna lie, I'm really nervous about posting it, because like things happened, but I'm trying to remain calm. It took me a few tries to get it to a place, where I actually liked it, but I think it turned out okay.

Anyways, enough of my worrying.

1\. ) So I know the idea of me going on a break, when my updates are inconsistent as fuck to begin with is laughable, but I will likely be going on a bit of a break here shortly. I work a full time 9-5 during the week. I also work a second job every other weekend. Usually, I write on my weekends off. (Or when I'm bored as shit at job #2.) However, I have to have some dental work done, so I will likely spend one of my writing weekends sitting in my bed eating ice cream, trying not to drool all over myself. So if it takes me two writing weekends to write and post a chapter it may take me three or four, because the back of my mouth is essentially trash.

1.5) PSA: If you haven't gone to the dentist in a while, because nothing hurts and everything looks fine, **GO TO THE FUCKING DENTIST!** I didn't for a long fucking while, because if it ain't broke don't fix it, but now it's broke and it's going to cost me thousands of dollars to fix it. If you are a teen and your parents haven't taken you in a while ask them. If you're in college and you forgot, because this whole being on your own shit is wild as hell and you have no idea what the fuck you're doing, start adulting by scheduling your own appointments regularly. If you're grown and just haven't gone, go. It seems pretty fucking obvious, but my entire department has put it off, and we're all suffering the consequences. If you don't know how you're going to pay for it, do some digging. There's care credit, so you can make payments. There are nonprofits that will help cover the cost/provide you with care. ( I work at a foundation. My job is to research nonprofits. I don't know what all may be available to you locally, but I'm happy to help you look.) Some dentists will even offer you discounts or special plans if you're uninsured. Anyways, take care of your teeth. Sorry rant over.

2.) Since **Nevermorea** asked, and I'll probably be laid up in bed in the next couple of weeks leave of some fic recs in the comments. If you know of some Shanks/OC fics let us know. I also read on tumblr, Mibba and Ao3, so send me whatever.

Anyways, that's it for now. I'll talk to you all next chapter.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **Toreh:** Very interested in seeing where this goes! There really aren't enough Shanks romances out there and I'm living for this.

 _I know right! MORE SHANKS!_

 **FamousWolf:** I absolutely love this story! Please keep up the great work! I can't wait to see if see runs off with Shanks and his crew or not.

 _I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying it! She's not running off with Shanks and the crew, but things aren't going back to the way they were._

 **Bluu6293:** OMG yes! Scary Shanks is soooo coool! Update soon!

 **BlackDove WhiteDove:** XD my gosh, this was too good 3  
Gosh I love Shanks and everything he does  
Thank you so much for the update!

 _I'm glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to comment!_

 **Like A Pro 42:** Found this, love this, can't wait for more. Keep up the good work!

 _Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!_

 **WhiteyWolf26:** Oooh, nice chapter!  
HA, Tel finally got his due (a little bit at least)! 3:-) Not surprising though; we all know people what can say about Shanks himself whatever they like, but as he said, the people he cares about? No way in hell will he let that stand.

A lot has changed since Eliza last tried to run away, huh? Well, ain't that true. Now you've put ideas in my head. xD

Did you know that (at least as far as I'm aware, mind you) Shanks lost his arm because Oda's publisher (?) thought the first draft of that scene didn't have enough impact (and thus was too boring/not interesting enough)? And so there went the arm. So, as far as I choose to see it, we likely wouldn't have OP if it wasn't for Shanks. Lol, I concede that this is hardly something one can use to explain his amputation within a story, though. ;)

Still, since we are all so deeply indebted to Shanks for his involuntary but most noble of sacrifices, I very much hope that however this fic is going to play out, it will be in nothing but his (and Eliza's) favour, whatever shape that may take. ;D

 _Tel has had the fear of God put into him._

 _I mean of course a lot has changed. It's been over a decade, since she last tried to bolt. It's not like I was trying to I dunno imply anything. I mean it's not like she's gotten, faster, stronger, smarter, better at using haki, more skilled at fighting or anything since then. Don't read too much into it._

 _And I hadn't heard that. Or maybe I had and I forgot. Oda: Story needs more drama, fuck it there goes Shanks' arm. Shanks: Hmmm this kid needs to see that piracy isn't all booze and sea shanties, fuck it there goes my arm._

 _It would be a shame for his sacrifice to go to waste. I guess we'll just have to see what happens._

 **nadia4245:** just binged it. AMAZING

 _Thank you!_

 **Nevermorea:** *waves frantically* I love you

So I totally looked like Deku from BNHA/MHA when he was getting ready to watch that All Might video when I was this updated XD I started freaking out and my husband had full blown judgey eyes going on. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE UPDATE SOON THIS IS THE ONLY SHANKS FIC WORTH MY TIME AND I LOVE IT THAT BEING SAID IF ANYONE KNOWS OF SHANKS/OC FICS PLEASE HIT ME UP

so...my caps locks were on and I didn't realize it and I don't want to go back and re type...toodles

 _EEEEK! THIS MADE ME SO HAPPY! (And I totally realized my capslock was on. I'm just that excited.) I've been fairly nervous about the previous chapter and this one, because I think there's an expectation of how these scenes should go, but unfortunately (for Eliza) life just doesn't play out that way._

 _And I like the way you think. I'm gonna put a call for Shanks/OC fics in the AN. Let's see if we can get some recs._

 **starrat:** I loved it looking forward to the next chapter

 _I hope you enjoyed!_

 **xenocanaan:** Wonderful chapter! I can't wait to see what happens next!

 _Thank you!_


	10. Chapter 10

**Throne**

"Remember the moment you left me alone and

Broke every promise you ever made

I was an ocean, lost in the open

Nothing could take the pain away

So you can throw me to the wolves

Tomorrow I will come back

Leader of the whole pack

Beat me black and blue

Every wound will shape me

Every scar will build my throne"

-Bring Me the Horizon, "Throne" from _That's the Spirit_ (2015)

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

After having the Red-Haired Pirates around for the past few weeks, the Tavern, which was filled with its Aurorean regulars, who had finally returned after their self-imposed exile, felt empty.

The men, mostly fishermen, were scattered about, nursing beers, while they chatted about the current events, the most exciting of which being the departure of the Red-Haired Pirates, who has left for their next adventure late in the afternoon.

It was a drastic change, considering that the night before the tavern had felt as if it was going to burst at the seems with the energy from the pirates that filled it.

Knowing that something is going to happen, doesn't mean anything unless you can do something about it. I knew that they would be leaving, but that did nothing to lessen my disappointment. I hadn't even gotten to give them a proper goodbye, due to Tel's antics the night before and my guest who had arrived in the morning.

"You're-"

I stopped the tumbler of whiskey, just short of my lips. "I swear on everything that is good in this world, if you say 'lucky,' I'm going to knock your ass out and ship you back to the old man," I threatened. I set the glass down and glared at the kid sitting across from me.

His name was Kaz, and he, as I had learned, was a relatively new member of the Whitebeard crew. He joined a little over two years prior, when he had an unfortunate run in with the Old Man.

If I had to guess, he was in his mid to late twenties. He wore years of wear on his body, scars and callouses marring his pale skin, but lacked the typical signs of age.

This was his first trip to Aurora and after putting up with him for just about 12 hours, I was already determined to make sure that it was his last.

"But you are," he argued. "What would you have done, if I hadn't shown up when I did?"

"One: It makes absolutely no fucking difference that you showed up when you did, because the Red-Haired Pirates were _leaving anyways_."

Kaz had arrived in the morning. He'd recognized the Red-Haired Pirates ship and immediately went looking for me. He'd begun at the docks, where the workers there had sent him to the tavern. At the tavern, he'd talked to Rayne and possibly set a record for getting cracked over the head with a cane in the shortest amount of time. She'd sent him to the store.

I was helping Benn and a few of the others get all their ducks in a row in preparation for their departure, while their captain slept on my couch.

"Two: I wouldn't have done a god dammed thing, and neither would you, because the whole fucking point of my being here is to not draw attention."

Once, he confirmed that I was in fact, who he was looking for, Kaz flipped his long black hair over his shoulder, revealing the purple jolly roger inked on his neck. He put on a wide grin and walked up to the counter, letting out an overly enthusiastic "Sis!"

Now, I knew the Red-Haired Pirates already knew about my connection to the Whitebeard Crew. I also knew that them knowing didn't put me at risk. However, Kaz knew none of that.

He had absolutely no clue what kind of flags his actions would raise. The whole reason I was on Aurora, was so that people didn't know I was Whitebeard's kid, and here he was running around with the Old Man's brand, calling me his sister.

He might as well have danced around with a giant sign that said, 'Whitebeard's daughter Kidnap at will.'

Sure, we could take anyone that would be a concern, but what if someone ran and told the marines. Marco had told me what they did, when Roger was executed – how the marines had hunted down the women he had potentially been with and their children to make sure that Roger's bloodline had ended.

Thankfully, Benn and the others took the hint and immediately played it as if our interactions were strictly transactional instead of friendly.

Had it been a different day, I probably would've been less annoyed than I was. After all, I knew that the Red-Haired crew weren't going to do anything. No harm no foul. But on this particular day, it pissed me off.

"Did no one tell you anything about this whole situation?" I asked.

"Told me to make sure that you're safe. I'm here. Red Hair's gone. You're safe. Mission accomplished."

"Where the hell did Newgate find this one?" Rayne chirped.

I just gave her a tired look.

"Just saying if you figure it out, I'm sure the two of us could return him and be back here, before the next one shows up."

"As if Pop's wouldn't notice my absence."

"I'm sure he'd notice," I said. I doubted the newfound peace would be lost on the Old Man.

"I just don't think he'd care," Rayne added.

"His favorite son missing? Of course, he'd care.

"Ha! Favorite son? Everyone knows that Marco is favorite."

"Oh kiddo," Rayne sighed. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're his favorite."

"Can I really be the favorite, when he hasn't seen me in nearly twenty years?" Hell, I couldn't even get him to write me. All I got from him, were captain's logs, and if I was being honest, I wasn't even sure that they were from him. I wouldn't put it past Marco to send gifts on his behalf.

"She's blood. She doesn't count. She has an unfair advantage."

' _When have I ever?_ '

"I'm the one who scared off Red-Hair. When Pops hears-"

"Oh no! Not a chance!" I snapped. "Listen here, you've already annoyed me. You are not going to make my life even more difficult. You are not going to breathe a word of Red Hair being here to anyone. Not a fucking soul."

Dipshit would run back, tell everyone that Shanks was here, and the Old Man would likely overreact. Last time, he stuck me on an island by myself. This time, he'd probably throw me in a fucking cave somewhere.

"Like hell I'm not! Do you have any idea what this means?"

"Nothing. It means nothing, because you didn't actually do anything, because they were _already leaving_. You lucked out that you showed up when you did. I don't know what your deal is. You want attention from the Old Man? We all do. There's over a thousand of us. This isn't the way to get on his radar."

The Old Man went out and collected every misfit and stray that he could find. He gave them a place to belong, called them his children. I always wonder though if he truly understood what that meant. Children want attention. Children want to be loved. While love is limitless, time is not. It's impossible to give that many children the interactions that they desire in a way that's meaningful.

"And no one's going to believe that you scared them off. You're not exactly the most intimidating man I've ever met," Rayne said. "Liz could take you easy. You don't stand a chance against Shanks."

"You really think I'd lose to _her_?"

I raised a brow. "I'd kick your ass into next week."

"I'd like to see you try." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

This kid. Fuck he was annoying. He just had a way of grating on my nerves. It was the over confidence, the disillusionment, the inability to hear anything other than what he wanted.

"That can be arranged."

"Take it outside," Rayne barked, her cane coming up threateningly.

This was one of the best things about my brothers coming through. I didn't have to hold back. I wasn't worried about every microaggression being taken as an act of war on Aurora. I could get annoyed, get mad and pick fights, and the worst that came of it was that someone called me a bitch.

"You couldn't lay a finger on me," Kaz taunted.

"Oh, I'm gonna lay a whole damn fist."

"Wanna bet?"

"What're the stakes?" I asked.

"I win, you leave me alone about telling the Old Man about Red Hair."

I nodded. "Fine, but if I win, you keep your mouth shut."

"I accept that. I'll even make it easier on you. All you have to do is land one hit on me."

"How long I got?"

"Ten minutes."

I nodded. "I can work with that. I want your word." I extended my hand for him to shake.

"You got it."

He met me halfway across the table.

I gripped his hand and pulled him closer, so that I was right up in face. "Remember, it's important to the Old Man that all of his sons keep their word."

It wasn't an honor thing, as much as it was a pride thing for my father. If you were going to do anything you were going to do it with pride. What was there to be proud about going back on your word?

I tossed back the rest of my whiskey. "Let's do this."

We stepped out from the warm glow of the tavern into the cool light of the moon. I led him through the trees that surrounded the tavern to a clearing. It was far enough away that it we shouldn't have been able to disturb the villagers. Even if we did, it was so far into the trees that none of them would dare venture to look, save for maybe Tel.

"Rules?" I asked.

"None."

I nodded. "Devil fruits?"

"Fair game."

"You have one?"

"I guess you'll have to find out."

I rolled my eyes. It wasn't going to make a difference.

"Count of three?"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

Neither of us moved.

There was a tense moment of stillness, before I chuckled. ' _Of course._ '

Kaz seemed to have gone serious.

Seeing as we had the same plan, I decided to give him the advantage and attack first. I launched myself at him, initially aiming high, but swiftly adjusting my positioning, so that I could go for his legs. If I could get him on the ground, then I bought myself a little bit of time to turn around and attack again as he got back up.

He jumped out of the way, using my shoulder to push off of to get even higher up in the air. He was graceful, fluid like water. His movements flowed together, saving energy. As effortless as it looked, the subtle adjustments gave away that everything he did was strategic. He was being careful.

I was not. I kept throwing myself at him, using different techniques, attacking from different angles. He dodged, never making a move to come near me. He has said that the goal was for me to hit him. He never had to touch me, so it looked like keep away was his strategy.

It was clear that he was using observation. He so intently focused, and even though I was only going at half speed, he wouldn't have been able to evade me otherwise.

I was at a distinct disadvantage in that regard. However, it didn't matter if you could predict a move, if you weren't fast enough to dodge it.

I landed a short way away from him. "Seven minutes," he said.

"Plenty of time."

I took a deep breath, before moving again. This time, I had a plan a direction. I wasn't just trying to feel the kid out. I moved thinking not of landing a hit but getting him in place for one the next time I moved. I started at the same pace but increased the speed.

He finally fell into one of my traps, dodging left. Before my fist could connect with his face, he disappeared.

I whipped my head around and he was right behind me.

"You little shit," I swore.

He disappeared again, this time, appearing right in front of my face.

"Cute," I deadpanned.

"Not as easy as you thought it'd be. Three minutes."

"Not as difficult as you make it out to be."

Fruits like that required some level of concentration. If he was splitting his focus, between teleporting and his observation, then he wasn't going to be able to use either at their full capacity. That being said, he was doing extremely well. It was truly impressive.

I had to distract him somehow.

I transformed into my hybrid form.

Kaz's eyes widened at my appearance. ' _There's a crack._ '

I crouched low, running my hands across the dirt, before charging. He teleported out of the way. While he was in between, I hurled a rock that I had grabbed at one of the branches in the trees. The beehive hanging there came crashing to the ground.

Home field advantage.

Kaz reappeared and within thirty seconds, the bees began to swarm us.

"What the hell?!"

' _Crack._ '

Balor's skin was tough, too tough for the bees to sting. Kaz's not so much. He started to fret, and I returned to my previous strategy. It took only two more tries, before my fist connected with him gut, causing him to double over in pain.

"What do you think?" I asked. "Thirty seconds left?"

He couldn't respond immediately. I transformed into my full Balor form. Even the bees were frightened enough to keep their distance.

I leaned over Kaz and reached down to help him up.

"That was dirty."

"I asked if you wanted to set some rules. You said no."

"Bees! What if I was allergic?"

"Rayne's allergic. She has some special medicine for when she gets stung. Trust me, you would've been fine. The whole town thinks I'm some kind of savage murder, the last thing I need is the crew thinking so too."

"You wouldn't have won without your trick," he shot.

I pointed to the eye in the center of my forehead. "I haven't even started going into my bag of tricks. That being said, your observation haki is really impressive."

"Yours is trash."

"I know. I'm much better armament and conquerors."

"There's no way you have conquerors!"

"I su-" Before I finished my sentence, a wave of conqueror's knocked Kaz out.

"That wasn't very nice," I said, glancing towards the trees, where Shanks was lurking. "I wanted to do that myself."

"So have I, since he showed up this morning. A bit of pay back for disrupting my last day here."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "You weren't up, when he got here this morning. You were knocked out, while I helped your crew get ready to go. I've been putting up with him."

"So I've been waiting since noon. What's a couple of hours? I still couldn't come and see you."

"Wow. Were you looking through those romance novels Thatch insists on getting me?"

"There are far more interesting things in your apartment for me to go through than novels."

I laughed at the wiggling of his eyebrows. "You're such a perv. Don't you have a crew to captain or something? Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you before we set sail, but he got in the way," he explained nodding towards Kaz.

My brothers were good at nothing if not completely disrupting my days. Even the ones that didn't really stick around me caused a stir. I was constantly running around making sure that they didn't do anything stupid.

"Were you expecting me to stand there and wave a handkerchief that the wind would just pluck from my hands and carry to you?" I teased.

"It would've been nice."

I snorted, lifting Kaz up over my shoulder. "Let me drop him off. Then I can throw snot rags at you, as you paddle your rowboat in circles."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Eight appointments, one oral surgery, seven fillings, months of writer's block, and lots and lots of adulting later, I've returned. I'm so so sorry for the wait, because this time, I actually knew, where I was trying to go with this one. It just was a bitch to get written.

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 **Fruitlessberry:**

 _Thank you for reading and commenting!_

Chapter 9 - I'm gushing over this. I'm so done

 _I was really happy that I left yinz with fluff before my accidental hiatus._

Chapter 8 - Wow, this was so sweet of Shanks. She did not seem to know how to react to him standing up for her, so cute, seriously

 _Liz isn't used to having people defend her like that. Her brothers protect her, when she's there, but it's less about her and more about their duty to the Old Man. (With exceptions.)_

Chapter 7 - Why is Tel so stupid seriously?

 _I ask myself that all the time._

Chapter 1 - Omg, she's funny and her personality seems very strong. I like that already. She does not seem to be intimidated easily by Shanks and his crew even though I assume they are not at the same level of fame as right now, but back then Shanks was also a big deal. Nice to see her joking around with them.

 _I'm glad you like her. Liz is one of my favorite characters that I've ever written._

 **XenoLucifer** : Btw, you do realize all White Beard pirates have their Jolly Roger painted on their back right? She having it on her thigh or whatever is canonically incorrect. And you just destroyed my brain, I always thought Edward was whitebeards given name, like how Ben Beckman has his given name first but then I thought of Weevil and was like "wtf?" but then I remembered how every Whitebeard pirate pretty much denied that Weevil was his son so is that denial based on that Weevils mother thought Whitebeards given name "Edward" was his surname because of how most most characters spell their names with the surname first, and therefore lying to her son about whom his father is to get Whitebeards fortune? now I'm just confused and ready to explode, it doesn't help that Weevils only similarity to Whitebeard is his weapon of choice and white mustache which is clearly dyed...

 _Thanks for taking the time to read and comment._

 _I'll admit, when I was first figuring Liz out, I got thrown off by the naming scheme and went back and forth on what I though her name would be. Of all the combinations, of Edward, Elizabeth and Newgate, Edward Elizabeth was my favorite and for that reason, it stuck._ _She's been Edward Elizabeth since the very first draft of this fic, which was initially supposed to be like 3,000 words of flirty banter between Shanks and a bookie before they sailed off into the sunset._

 **WhiteyWolf26:** No worries, that was a great chapter! If Eliza doesn't go with Shanks (at least not for the foreseeable future), he just has to come visit whenever possible. ;)

Hmm, the next time he meets the Old Man (which happens once in a blue moon, I know, but still), or any of Eliza's brothers, really, I don't think it outside the realm of probability that he could have WORDS for them, though. Always going on and on about family and then doing something like that to Eliza. Shame on them, really.

Hmm, as for Shanks/OC, there's "Breaking a rule" by May May Meow. It didn't quite make my very selected Favourites list, but it was a close call and is without a doubt a very good and enjoyable read, I'd recommend it.

I also downright urge you to check out missmungoe's "Shanties for the Weary Voyager"-verse on AO3; it's Shanks/Makino and utterly amazing.

Apart from that, I stand by my Favourites here on FFNet. If a story that's listed there interests you plotwise, give it a read, I dare say it won't disappoint. ;)

 _Thank you! Shanks could always swing back around. Who knows? (Really who? I'm writing this, but I don't know what the hell is gonna happen anymore.) Also_ _who doesn't have words for Whitebeard at this point? Eliza sure does and maybe she'll even get to tell him one day._

 _Thanks for the recs!_

 _I have read the_ Shanties for the Weary Voyager _series. What a series! Absolutely amazing! There are a lot of fics that you read and enjoy, but the way it's written truly makes you feel everything with Makino. Every time I read it, it just reminds me how powerful fiction can be, and makes me want to go and write something._

 **ZippyZappy:** Wow, this is so Good (with a capital G godammit). It just flows so nicely and the dialogue's just wonderful and Liz is a treasure and your Shanks is so sweet and... ah, I REALLY LIKE IT. Hope to read more soon and take care!

 _Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'm happy to hear that ease with which the dialogue flows for me comes across to the readers. This is one of my favorite fics to work on, because I don't have to think too much about what the characters are going to say, so I get to focus more on the circumstances they find themselves in (Translation: How many places/ways can they flirt with each other)._

 **Bluu6293:** Such a tender kiss... Im so happy.  
This is basically the only shanks fic I have found that is worth its salt. I love how the characters are actually thinking through how their actions have consequences, I love how honestly they banter and interact with each other. I love them both so much and just want them to be happy.

 _Awww thank you! I tried to make it more realistic, but I'm always afraid that it'll come across as anticlimactic. I'm a sucker for a big grand romantic happy ending (And I usually end all of my fics that way, because I'm horribly self-indulgent.), so I'm_ _like they're going to be disappointed, but I'm glad you appreciate the thought that goes into their actions. They're banter is some of my favorite dialogue I've ever written._

 **Shion Lee:** AWWW

 _Thanks for reading!_

 **xenocanaan:** Thank you for the amazing chapter! I can't wait to read more!

 _You're welcome! Thanks for reading! Sorry about the wait, but teeth and life._

 **starrat:** Awesome loved it looking forward to the next

 _Thank you!_

 **BlackDove WhiteDove:** XD Ha! They kissed~

 _That they did... Repeatedly._

 **Otterlyadorkable** **:** Lol. Thanks for the psa. My mom just took me and my brother to the dentist's last month. The chapter was great by the way. It was about time that Shanks and Eliza kissed. Kind of disappointed that she didn't join Shanks' crew, but I understand her reasoning. How funny will it be if Luffy somehow came along and had her join his crew? That would also be generic though. And I don't like how Luffy basically forces people to join his crew until they relent and agree. But that may just be the authors of the fanfics I read's fault. I don't know what that was. No, I do know. A long tangent. Anyways, thanks for the chapter! And have a nice break!

 _Thank your mother. And thank you for reading and commenting! I'm sad she didn't run off too, but it is what it is... for now. I kind of want to write a oneshot now, where Liz meets the Strawhats. Might have to be a thing at some point in time._


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